This Saturday marks a blockbuster date in the MMA calendar. UFC 294 is scheduled to take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, with a preliminary card headlined by top British prospect Muhammad Mokaev.
Recent revelations have made way for two gargantuan fights at the event’s summit. Injuries to both Charles Oliveira and Paulo Costa have forced the pairing out of fights against Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev respectively. Two of the biggest names within the promotion, Alexander Volkanovski and Kamaru Usman, have stepped in to replace them.
The octagon return of Muhammad Mokaev also spells enthrallment for UFC fans. The undefeated flyweight is set to take on sport veteran Tim Elliott, a final bout before the main card commences. Victory could be crucial for Mokaev’s advancement through the weight class rankings.
Here, we look at ‘The Punisher‘s career to-date, as well as how he matches up technically against Saturday’s opponent.
Career To-Date
Like so many world class wrestlers in the sport’s modern climate, Mokaev was born in the Russian region of Dagestan. His birthplace would act as a perfect backdrop in the development of his current skillset.
His mother unfortunately passed away whilst he was a teenager, and he moved to England alongside his father soon after. Humble beginnings saw the pair move into a Liverpudlian refugee camp, surviving on the wages of just £5 a day.
Mokaev found a release from the struggles of daily life in the form of wrestling at Manchester Wrestling Club. He showed incredible levels of dominance from the start, and began competing at an early age. As a junior, the now-UFC star was a four-time consecutive British champion between 2014-2017. He is also a two-time British and English medallist, with a further two gold medals in submission wrestling under the banner of ADCC UK.
The Brit had already began his amateur MMA career whilst momentesly achieving in other disciplines. Mokaev’s first fight was at the meer age of 15, and subsequently put together a remarkable record of 23-0 alongside junior bantamweight championships in IMMAF.
Obviously, the next step was to advance into the professional game. At 20-years-old he was signed to BRAVE CF, and won five fights (with one in Celtic Gladiator) in impressive fashion, three coming via early stoppage.
Next month will act as Mokaev’s two-year anniversary within the UFC. The Brit has impressed the masses so far during his tenure in Dana White’s promotion, earning colossal victories over Cody Durden and Charles Johnson in front of a home crowd. He comes into the contest off the back of a duo of third-round submissions over Malcolm Gordon and Jafel Filho. The latter came back in March, on the pleminary card of UFC 286.
Muhammad Mokaev: Fighting Style
It’s clear to see Mokaev’s game plan consistently revolves around an aggressive wrestling style, whoever the opponent. The 23-year-old’s swift level changes cause constant concern for fighters despite their personal levels in takedown defence and ground game.
Throughout his amateur career, ‘The Punisher‘ had a takedown strategy which, in truth, seemed slightly forced. Mokaev has improved this aspect of his game especially since joining the UFC, and now tends to follow a Khabib Nurmagomedov-like strategy which involves countering and set-up strikes around the opponents guard to make for larger openings.
Once earning the takedown, the Brit wants to pass and maintain positions from which he can strike or earn submissions. Six of his nine professional fights have ended with an early stoppage, four of these with submissions from the back.
Similarly to UFC bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili, Mokaev relentlessly pursues taking the fight to the canvas. Get-ups are certainly not impossible for his opponents, but he’ll be looking to immediately hit a single, double or sweep again. A takedown average (per 15 minutes) of 7.34, combined with an accuracy of 53%, showcases that he’s looking to land at least one every minute of a fight.
The 23-year-old’s striking and distance control is also admirable. Mokaev’s lack of fear for any of his opponents to-date allows for a wildness in his stand-up, and he’s still yet to be seriously rocked in the promotion. If his counterpart does look to grapple to avoid these strikes, ‘The Punisher‘ welcomes it.
It’s fair to say Mokaev does leave occasional openings. An eye-catching reference point would be in the Filho bout, in which he was caught in a gut-wrenching kneebar attempt. This is very possibly due to his sheer toughness, but could be an issue later on as he faces tougher opponents. He also has a willingness to turn his back to opponents in exchanges, again another example of erraticity.
Upcoming Fight vs. Tim Elliott
Mokaev is once again entering UFC 294 as an unsurprising heavy -490 favourite. The Brit is 11th in the flyweight rankings at present, with his opponent just one place above.
Elliott is coming into the contest off the back of decision wins against Tagir Ulanbekov and Victor Altamirano. His victory over the latter came following a 15-month octagon hiatus due to cancelled bouts against Amir Albazi and Allan Nascimento. He had experienced a similar run of bad fortunes between 2017-19, where rehab for a knee injury kept him absent for the best part of two years. This was before a three-fight losing streak to Deiveson Figueiredo, Askar Askarov and Brandon Royval.
The 36-year-old is certainly a tough fighter, and many will admire him for accepting such a dangerous bout. Five of Elliott’s losses have come via submission, but he is more than willing to involve himself in grappling exchanges.
A UFC career spanning over a decade has seen the veteran face some of the most devastating fighters the lower weight classes have had to offer. It is difficult to picture Elliott’s nerves getting the better of him on Saturday night.
UFC 294 will be available to UK viewers through TNT Sports 1. Live coverage begins at 5 p.m., with the main card expected at 7 p.m.
Do you think Muhammad Mokaev will beat Tim Elliott at UFC 294? Will you be tuning in to the event? Let us know in the comments below!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
