Muhammad Mokaev vs. Cody Durden on tap for UFC Fight Night on March 19

Muhammad Mokaev will get the crack at Cody Durden he asked for.

A highly touted flyweight prospect, Mokaev (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will make his promotional debut against Durden (12-3-1 MMA, 1-1-1 UFC) on March 19 at UFC Fight Night.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

A former IMMAF champion, Mokaev gained recognition for unparalleled dominance as an amateur fighter. According to Mokaev, his MMA record is currently 30-0 overall. Leading MMA database Tapology currently has him listed at 22-0 as an amateur, 5-0 as a professional, and 1-0 in exhibition fights.

In 2020, Mokaev turned professional and won his debut by unanimous decision at Brave CF 37. He’d compete four more times under the promotion’s banner and go 3-0 with one no contest and three finishes. Mokaev, 21, most recently competed in September when he defeated Blaine O’Driscoll at Brave CF 54. He signed with the UFC in November.

As for Durden, the Georgia-born fighter has split his UFC appearances going 1-1-1 through three fights under the promotion’s banner. He picked up his first promotional victory Nov. 20 when he defeated Aori Qileng by unanimous decision.

After the fight, Durden verbalized his glee for sending Qileng “back to China where he came from.” The line struck the wrong chord with many, including Mokaev, who tweeted and pondered if Durden should be the opponent for his debut.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for March 19 includes: