Muhammad Mokaev, will he become the UFC’s youngest-ever champion?

Mokaev gets his hand raised at UFC 286

At a recent media event, British Flyweight fighter Muhammad Mokaev shared his game plan for becoming the youngest-ever UFC Champion. He aims to defeat Jafel Filho at UFC 286, then take on a ranked opponent at UFC 290, win a title eliminator at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, and finally, secure the UFC title before March 2024.

Although Mokaev defeated Filho in the third round via submission, his victory was not without setbacks. He suffered a gruesome kneebar attempt that could have put him out of action for a long time.

However, he assured fans during an interview on Ariel Helwani's MMA Hour on Monday evening that he plans to return to the octagon in July or August. UFC 290 coincidentally takes place in July and will be held in Las Vegas. Failing that, UFC 291 could be where we see Mokaev next in action.

Mokaev has asked for a ranked opponent for UFC 290, and he deserves one. The two fighters ahead of him in the rankings that make the most sense are David Dvořák (ranked 10th) and Matt Schnell (ranked 8th) neither of whom are matched up right now. A win against either opponent could catapult Mokaev into title contention.

Mokaev at UFC 280

Assuming Mokaev wins at UFC 290, Mokaev wants to fight at UFC 294, which will be held in Abu Dhabi. By this point, Brandon Moreno would have fought Alexandre Pantoja and will be searching for the next title contender. The title contender will be chosen from the fights between Kai Kara France vs Amir Albazi and Brandon Royval vs Matheus Nicolau.

Mokaev hopes that either Kara France or Royval wins their respective bouts since they haven't looked particularly deserving of a title shot lately. Kai Kara France recently lost an interim title fight against now-champion Brandon Moreno whilst Brandon Royval lost to both Moreno and Pantoja just recently.

For Mokaev to get his title shot in March 2024, he must defeat one of the four fighters: Kara France, Albazi, Royval, or Nicolau. If he succeeds, it will be hard to argue that he doesn't deserve a shot at the belt.

The Flyweight division is in the best position it's been in for years, with many fighters vying for potential title shots. It's been a long time coming after the quadrilogy of Figueiredo and Moreno.