The PFL is showing interest in signing the rejected former UFC title contender

Perhaps Muhammad Mokaev was telling the truth after all.

After Dana White and the UFC publicly parted ways with Mokaev following his unanimous decision win over Manel Kape at UFC 304 in July, the 24-year-old from Dagestan said the Professional Fighters League had shown interest in signing him.

PFL president Ray Sefo denied interest in signing Mokaev on two occasions. However, Peter Murray, the agency’s chief executive, had a completely different take on Friday when asked about Mokaev’s signing.

Murray even said he believes Mokaev could be “the future face of flyweights within the Professional Fighters League.”

“I think the flyweight division is something we’ll be looking at in the future,” Murray said Sherdog. “I know our guys look at it. You look at fighters like Muhammad Mokaev, he’s a 13-0 flyweight from Dagestan. This kid has the second-longest winning streak in UFC flyweight history. He was 23-0 as an amateur. When I look at a kid like that, it’s an opportunity.”

Mokaev had seemingly built a rocky relationship with the UFC. A person familiar with the situation said the UFC’s decision to release Mokaev was based in part on the promotion’s mistreatment of his fight staff and fellow fighters combined with his grappling-heavy approach to the Octagon.

Murray seems to believe that Mokaev will have matured and learned from his experience with the UFC, or that the PFL will handle his personality better and be more open to his approach to the first fight.

“Whether it’s Muhammad coming to the PFL system in one of our franchises, whether it’s the World Series or Bellator, and others like him, I think it’s a real opportunity – especially with international talent in the flyweight division. Muhammad is the real deal, much respect to him.”

Mokaev is 13-0 as a pro and just turned 24 on July 30. Despite the striking in his fighting style, Mokaev has finished 58% of his opponents as a pro, including two first-round finishes.

Prior to his unanimous decision wins over Alex Perez and Kape in his last two UFC fights, Mokaev had won three straight fights by submission.

He won four of his first five UFC fights by submission. Some fighters with much lower finish rates seem to be in good shape. This fact leads me to believe that the decision was based more on Mokaev’s behavior than anything else.

“I think Muhammad Mokaev could definitely be the future face of the flyweights within the Professional Fighters League, if that’s a weight class we open up in the World season or on our Bellator platform,” Murray continued. “It’s absolutely something we’re looking at and this kid is impressive.”

That’s a resounding endorsement from a top decision-maker with the PFL, and one that wasn’t lost on Mokaev. He went to X to taunt Sefo and Mike Kogan.

Even interestingly, the PFL doesn’t have Mokaev’s division as Murray showed. This could explain why recent reports suggest that he is returning to Brave CF, per MMA Fightingthe last organization he fought for before signing with the UFC in 2022.

It sounds like the seeds for Mokaev have been planted with the PFL if and when the promotion starts a flyweight division. It will be interesting to see his decision on whether there will be another opportunity to return to the UFC while there is an offer from the PFL.