Muhammad Mokaev has declared that he will never again make such a drastic move up in weight after Arman Tsarukyan choked him unconscious in Brazil.
The Brave CF flyweight champion is completely unbeaten in the cage, but competes at 125lb. However, when Tsarukyan’s rematch with Georgio Poullas was moved to the March 28 RAF Wrestling event, Mokaev stepped in on just a few days’ notice to keep the UFC lightweight on the card.
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However, after a solid eight minutes of defensive work, the size difference became too much for Mokaev and he was caught in a rear naked choke. He refused to tap out, and as a result ended up being put to sleep altogether.
Muhammad Mokaev moving back down in weight after Arman Tsarukyan mismatch
Since his amateur days as a youngster, Muhammad Mokaev has always been dominant in MMA. He even went undefeated during his run with the UFC, only being released due to issues with matchmakers outside of the octagon.
He did lose a split decision at ADXC in 2024, but Wednesday night’s defeat to Arman Tsarukyan was his first legitimately devastating defeat since likely his childhood. And he was visibly emotional leaving the cage in footage shared by Red Corner MMA.
However, he seemed to have found the funny side after the fact, writing on X that he would be returning to his rightful division as soon as possible. “Back to flyweight,” he wrote, along with a laughing emoji and a shrugging one. “Never give away 25kg anymore.”
The weight difference – even if they were weighing in at their fighting limits – would not be quite that extreme. Tsarukyan tends to tip the scales at 156lb, while Mokaev is 125lb, meaning a 31lb or around 14kg.
However, the Armenian’s weight was not recorded for this bout and was simply marked as ‘X’ on graphics during the broadcast. And the size difference was very evident when they began to engage in the ring.
In a later tweet, Mokaev added to the sentiment writing: “Zero excuses. If I get another opportunity like this in my life, I will take [it] again and again. Competed against one of the best lightweights on 2 days notice, 45lb difference. Win or learn, go out there and challenge yourself , that’s the message to all youth. See you at the top!”
After the bout, they were both respectful of one another but Tsarukyan acknowledged that his level of competition would need to improve, at least from a size perspective. He proceeded to call out Charles Oliveira for a rematch of their razor-close UFC 300 fight, as well as controversial black belt Dillon Danis.
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