Chael Sonnen wants to see the UFC re-sign Muhammad Mokaev.
Following his win over Manel Kape in Manchester, UFC CEO Dana White made it clear that the promotion had no interest in keeping ‘The Punisher’ on their roster despite his 12-0 record and top-10 ranking.
In the weeks since, rumors have surfaced claiming that Mokaev’s attitude behind the scenes was a constant source of frustration with the final straw being his hotel brawl with Kape ahead of their UFC 304 fight. Mokaev was also accused of negotiating with the PFL while still under contract with the UFC—a big no-no that likely rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.
Dana White says the matchmakers aren’t fans of Muhammad Mokaev’s style of fighting.
Also looks like he won’t be sticking around with the UFC because Dana said the PFL is going to get Mokaev. pic.twitter.com/9k8QBNym5O
— COMBAT SPORTS TODAY (@CSTodayNews) July 28, 2024
Mokaev has denied accusations that he had negotiated with the PFL and continued to plead for his job back, even offering to forgo his purse if it means getting another fight.
Weighing in on the situation via his YouTube channel, former three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen went
“I don’t know what he could have done realistically,” Sonnen said. “He’s got to do two things: he’s got to upset the matchmakers, who are really nice guys—like, it’s really hard to ever hear a story where somebody was upset with them—and be able to keep it quiet in our industry, which is just wildly difficult to do.”
“When I tell you I want to forgive him, and I do, I guess I should also offer that I don’t quite know what we’re forgiving him for, but I have guesses. He seems calm, he seems like a guy that really wants his job—in fact, stronger on the position of ‘I want to be here, please reconsider.’ He’s going out to the public, and he’s owning everything that he did, whether it’s his boring style or the hotel situation. I feel like that’s a guy that you would show grace to.”
Muhammad Mokaev Made Have Already Found a New MMA Home
While Mokaev would undoubtedly prefer to continue competing inside the Octagon, it looks as though ‘The Punisher’ may have already found a new home.
In a social media post, Mokaev received a new pair of MMA gloves. Further inspection revealed that the gloves were made by Top Ten, the official glove supplier of BRAVE CF, a promotion based out of Bahrain. It certainly wouldn’t come as a surprise as Mokaev competed under the BRAVE banner five times before making his UFC debut.
New gloves but same goal 🥇🤫 pic.twitter.com/OCZEJw7Gdf
— Muhammad Mokaev (@muhammadmokaev) August 8, 2024
Neither Mokaev nor BRAVE CF have addressed the rumors as of this writing.
Watch Chael Sonnen’s full video below:
