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Muhammad Mokaev Injury: Real Extent of Injury After UFC Flyweight’s Refusal to Tap to Knee Bar Explained

Published 03/01/2024, 4:22 AM EST

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Undefeated UFC flyweight contender, Muhammad Mokaev will be putting his undefeated streak on the line against Alex Perez at UFC Fight Night 238. The 23-year-old is an incredible talent with high potential. But that was put to the test in one of his fights.

Mokaev had almost tarnished his perfect MMA record against Jafel Filho back in UFC 286 as he was caught in a pretty nasty knee bar during the third round of the fight. However, “The Punisher” managed to push through and get the submission win in round three. How bad was his injury after the fight?

Muhammad Mokaev’s injury after the intense knee bar at UFC 286

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The Kneebar submission that Filho had locked on Mokaev would have submitted most fighters. However, the Englishman was able to fight through the pain to lock in a rear naked choke of his own during the last 30 seconds of the fight, which led him to get a third-round finish. However, given how deep the knee bar was locked in, it was quite clear that the UFC flyweight had suffered an injury.

It was revealed that Muhammad Mokaev had suffered a Grade 2, partial MCL tear which needed some time to recover. “The Punisher,” revealed in a follow-up tweet that he would return to action after 6-8 weeks. In the tweet, he wrote, “Alhadmulillah! 6-8 weeks I will be back training Thank you for all your messages, I received crazy amount of the support about my knee! It’s a strap season for me and my people! I will be champion one day InshaAllah”

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After suffering the injury, the undefeated flyweight went on to get a third-round submission against Tim Elliott at UFC 294. Leading up to his fight against an experienced veteran in Alex Perez, how do you think the 23-year-old would fare? Would he run through a former title contender just like he did against his other competition in the UFC?

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All of “The Punisher’s” wins in the UFC leading up to his fight against Alex Perez

Muhammad Mokaev is 5-0 in the UFC. “The Punished’s” UFC debut with a 1st round submission win against Cody Durden in March 2022, at UFC Fight Night in London. He made his second appearance just two months after in July, with a dominant win against Charles Johnson at UFC Fight Night in London which featured the main event between Aspinall and Blaydes.

Mokaev’s third win came against Malcolm Gordon at the prelims of UFC 280 via. 3rd round, armbar submission. And his fourth win cake against Jafel Filho at UFC 286 via 3rd round submission. Despite the MCL tear he suffered during his fight against Filho, he came back just 7 months after, to win his 5th against Tim Elliot at UFC 294.

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Do you guys think that Muhammad Mokaev will get his 12th MMA win against Alex Perez this coming weekend? And if he does, how far off is he from a title shot? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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Written by:

Imtikokba Jamir

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Imtikokba Jamir is a UFC Writer at EssentiallySports. He is your typical MMA geek who is always on top of the happenings in the sport. Imti’s coverage is not restricted to his favorite fighters, including the likes of Justin Gaethje and Robert Whittaker, but also off-court MMA enthusiasts like the celebrity Mark Wahlberg and former POTUS Donald Trump.
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Edited by:

Joyita Das