The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) congratulates multiple-time IMMAF gold medallist, Muhammad Mokaev, on his signing today with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The Team England veteran said: “I’m very excited to sign with the UFC. I don’t want to be just a UFC fighter, I want to become the youngest champion in its history. Right now, I’m the youngest fighter on UFC’s roster.
“IMMAF has helped me to prepare myself to this level. I’ve been told that it was huge that I had 4 professional fights within 4 months at BRAVE FC, but I have told people that at IMMAF amateur level, we have 4 – 5 fights in 1 week and the opponents aren’t any weaker than professional fighters. I believe that IMMAF is the route to reach the bigger leagues like UFC.”
As an amateur MMA athlete attaining a record of 23-0, Muhammad Mokaev blazed a trail to set new standards. His sponsors and fanbase eclipsed that of many established professionals to include the patronage of HH Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad of Bahrain, and he had international promoters lining up their bids at the close of his IMMAF career, which was cut shorter than planned by the pandemic.
Born in Dagestan, Mokaev honed his craft after discovering wrestling and MMA at a young age after his family moved to north of England when he was 12. While also representing the British wrestling team at an international level, Mokaev became a rising star of the UK MMA scene and after his 18th birthday excited fans as he launched himself on the IMMAF platform.
Dedicating two years to IMMAF competition with Team UK, and later Team England, the men’s bantamweight prodigy earned back-to-back gold medals at the Junior IMMAF World Championships in 2018 and 2019 and won the 2019 Jr European Open title to become IMMAF’s top ranked pound-for-pound junior. This was followed by a successful senior division debut that saw Mokaev cruise to gold at the 2020 Oceania Open. During his IMMAF tenure, the amateur prodigy well proved his talent in the international arena, besting top contenders from Sweden, Russia, Ireland, Bulgaria and Japan. Highlight matches include an inspiring trilogy of bouts with Japanese up-and-comer, Reo Yamaguchi.
Mokaev’s amateur successes were not just confined to MMA, as be boasts accolades that include six-time British Wrestling Champion, two-time ADCC British Open gold medallist and European Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu Champion. In 2021, Mokaev was awarded indefinite leave to remain in the UK, allowing him to at last represent TeamGB in World Wrestling.
In the professional MMA ranks, the 21-year old rising star has proved no less successful, standing undefeated to date with a record of 7 -0.
IMMAF President Kerrith Brown said:
“Mo is an exemplar of IMMAF’s work to help athletes reach their highest potential. His signing at such a young age by UFC is a real endorsement of the IMMAF pathway and provides a milestone for the organisation which is built around developing the next generation of athletes. We at IMMAF are immensely proud of Mo and wish him every success. We will be watching his career closely.”
