Brandon Royval and Muhammad Mokaev trade barbs as flyweight title shot lies within reach

Muhammad Mokaev successfully continued his unbeaten run in the sport when he edged out a hard-fought victory over UFC veteran Alex Perez. Grinding out a win on the judges’ scorecards will be a valuable experience for the 23-year-old, but not everybody was impressed by his performance.

Despite dominating the first round, it seemed as if Mokaev’s cardio wasn’t holding up, but the UK native out-worked his opponent to get his hands raised by unanimous decision. This was his sixth win inside the octagon and he now believes he’s ready for a shot at gold.

Following his win over Perez, Mokaev revealed he had been struggling with several staph infections weeks before stepping into the cage last time out. Even with the injuries heading into the bout, Brandon Royval was unimpressed by his division rival’s display.

This is y’all’s boy 😂😂

— Brandon (@brandonroyval) March 2, 2024

UFC 301 is set to take place on May 4 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and rumors are suggesting Alexandre Pantoja will put his flyweight title on the line at the event.

Attempting to get his second crack at the 125lbs throne, Brandon Royval again took to social media, throwing his name into the hat for a fight with Pantoja, whilst also firing shots at Mokaev.

Related: Brandon Royval out-works Brandon Moreno for razor-close decision win

“Anyways, I’ll be ready for UFC 301,” Royval said in hopes of booking a third fight against Pantoja. “Perez 29-28.”

Muhammad Mokaev took no time in reminding Royval that he has already had his chance against the current champion, losing on both occasions.

Mokaev continued, calling out Royval for a fight later on in the year at the rumored UFC Manchester card.

“You got choked out by Pantoja then 45-50 in [the] second fight,” Mokaev stated. “UFC coming to Manchester in July, come [and] fight me. I’m undefeated, you’re 16-8 in your career. Taking [the] same route as Artem Lobov.”

You got choked out by Pantoja then 45-50 in second fight

UFC coming to Manchester in July , come fight me, I’m undefeated , you’re 16-8 in you career , taking same route as artem lobov https://t.co/lVLT9agNa9

— Muhammad Mokaev (@muhammadmokaev) March 3, 2024