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Muhammad Mokaev's UFC 286 performance has come under scrutiny as his opponent, Jafel Filho, accused him of tapping out at least three times during their bout. However, the No.12-ranked flyweight disputed those claims.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, 'The Punisher' stated:
"If I didn't tap to my knee, do you think I would tap to - what'd he say, guillotine, right? Guillotine wasn't even locked. How the h**l do people actually believe I would tap to this guillotine?... His foot was in my boxers and he said, 'sorry, sorry', he stopped, and I said, 'all good, all good, let's go'. That's what I said. Come on, why would I tap in a position where there's nothing."
Muhammad Mokaev added:
"I respect this guy. When I saw [his comments] today I was very upset actually because I gave him so much respect that I don't give to anyone. I saw he carried a bible before the walk out and I'm like, 'hey, this guy's religious. He came here to fight for his family'. I gave him respect and a warm welcome in UK. When he said this, it's not nice to be honest. You lost, lose like a man."
Check out Muhammad Mokaev's full comments below:
Mokaev was able to somehow survive a submission attempt via kneebar. The No.12-ranked welterweight went on to submit Filho in the third round, however, there is speculation that he may have torn his ACL.
Muhammad Mokaev's UFC 286 performance: 'The Punisher' shares why he refused to tap out
Muhammad Mokaev's ability to survive an attempted kneebar from Jafel Filho allowed him to remain undefeated. The No.12-ranked flyweight took to Twitter to share why he refused to tap out:
"Seen some tweets saying, you didn’t tap but you might risk to end your career! I rather end my career without being quitter.. I’m in crazy pain right now but if I would tap it would hurt my heart even more"
Check out the No.12-ranked flyweight's tweet below:
Mokaev was able to pick up a submission victory with less than 30 seconds to go in the third and final round. While he has been able to remain undefeated in his professional and amateur mixed martial arts career, it is unclear how long the injury will keep him sidelined or if it will have any lasting effects.
Check out an image of Muhammad Mokaev's injury below:
