Muhammad Mokaev Details Head Kick Knockout: “My foot was like a balloon”

Muhammad Mokaev invoked memories of Conor McGregor when describing how his foot looked like a balloon after a recent fight. While the issue did come from a kick, it was not the fight-ending kick that saw Mokaev become the BRAVE CF flyweight champion against Gerard Burns on November 7th.

During an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Mokaev covered several subjects after the polarizing MMA fighter secured a massive win that has some insiders thinking a UFC return could potentially transpire going forward. As he discussed the finish at BRAVE CF 100 and the residual damage that came out of it, Mokaev said,

“First headkick knockout … my foot was like a balloon but it wasn’t from the head kick. I think it was earlier, kicking maybe in the elbow or something but it was bigger next day. … Rustam Khabilov was in the corner and he’s like: ‘Keep kicking him in the head. He thinks you’re wrestling and you will knock him out.’ I tell him, ‘Brother my foot!’ So he said, ‘You just need one kick.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, but I’m not kicking with my …’ and then I throw on the foot.”​

Muhammad Mokaev is keen on a fight with Alexandre Pantoja

Muhammad Mokaev mentioned during this same conversation with Ariel Helwani that he could be lying if he said he wasn’t intrigued by the idea of returning to the UFC. Mokaev put together a spotless run inside the octagon, but disciplinary issues outside of the cage caused friction that led to his release.

Mokaev did mention Hunter Campbell and Mick Maynard congratulating him after the fight, with many prominent MMA analysts such as Chael Sonnen thinking Mokaev could even return to the UFC and be fast-tracked to a title shot at 125 pounds. When touching upon some of those potential moving parts, Mokaev stated [via Essentially Sports],

“I just want to be the best in the world. And right now, I believe I’m the best in the world. But by the results in the table, the only guy to prove that is [Alexandre] Pantoja. That’s the only name I’m missing on my record.”