Britain's Muhamad Mokayev moved closer to winning the UFC flyweight title after defeating Alex Perez by unanimous decision in Las Vegas.
Mokaev, 23, outclassed 31-year-old American Perez and landed more takedowns in three rounds at UFC Apex.
After the fight, Mokaev called for a title fight against Brazilian champion Alexandre Pantoja.
“I’m 6-0 in the UFC with four finishes. [UFC] 301, 10 weeks, I’m ready to fight for the belt,” Mokaev said.
Mokaev went into the fight knowing that a convincing victory would propel him into title contention, and although he didn't get the finish he expected, his victory over former title challenger Perez was It was the most notable victory in his 13-fight undefeated career.
The 33-year-old Pantoja has defeated top contenders Brandon Moreno three times and Brandon Roybal twice, and the fight between No. 6 flyweight Manel Kape and No. 5 Mateusz Nicolaou was decided by Kape due to a weigh-in error. It was canceled in May.
Amir Al Albazi, No. 3 in the UFC flyweight rankings, is recovering from an injury, but Roybal, who defeated Moreno last week, likely suffered a torn medial collateral ligament (MCL) during that fight and could be sidelined. It was revealed that there is.
All of these factors open the door to a potential title shot, with Mokaev, ranked No. 8, and Perez, ranked No. 7, aiming for that chance.
Mokaev's first three takedown attempts were stopped by Perez, but he secured a fourth takedown, landed numerous punches, and finished the first round in a dominant position on the ground.
Perez fought back in the second round, showing good takedown defense and landing a leg kick that staggered Mokaev, and if Perez could get the upper hand in the final five minutes, he could sense a corner and grab the victory. did it.
But while Mokaev never looked like he was in danger or seriously bothered Perez, the statistics showed that the Briton landed three unanswered takedowns. However, he outscored Mokaev 47-30.
After the fight, Mokaev revealed that he had been feeling unwell that morning, which he said interfered with his performance in the Octagon.
“To be honest, I felt very unwell this morning. But I have the best team in the world,” Mokaev said.
If Mokaev gets his wish to fight Pantoja at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 4, he will become the third British fighter to fight alongside welterweight titleholder Leon Edwards and interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. He will have a chance to become the current UFC Champion. .
On the undercard, fellow Brit Christian Leroy Duncan stopped Claudio Ribeiro in the second round of a middleweight contest.
The 28-year-old Duncan showed overwhelming strength in his stand-up style, landing a series of kicks and elbows, then taking a number of punches before finishing the fight on the ground.
The win was Duncan's second straight in the UFC and ninth in 10 professional fights.
