Muhammad Mokaev will return to the octagon next month at UFC 280 as he looks to pick up his third consecutive win in the promotion.
Mokaev, 22, was hoping to meet a ranked opponent but has been matched up against unranked Malcolm Gordon in Abu Dhabi on October 22. After losing his first two UFC fights, Gordon has rebounded by winning consecutive fights against Francisco Figueiredo and Denys Bondar. The Canadian is a big underdog heading into his fight with Mokaev, who is unbeaten in his amateur and professional career.
After becoming a four-time IMMAF champion, Mokaev was signed to the UFC last November and made his debut in March against Cody Durden at UFC London. 'The Punisher' banked himself a $50,000 performance bonus by submitting Durden in under a minute after dropping him with a flying knee. Mokaev fought again in the English capital four months later by outpointing Charles Johnson whilst setting a record for the most takedowns in a UFC flyweight fight.
