Mohammed Mokaev just wants to fight for Ultimate Fighting Championship gold and doesn’t care how much he gets paid to do it.
Mokaev will face Angolan challenger Manel Kape on Saturday at UFC 304 in Manchester, England, and Mokaev has made it clear that his next bout will be the final one under his current UFC contract.
Mokaev doesn’t expect any contract extension, with “The Punisher” being happy with a one-fight deal if it would speed up his path to a title shot.
Mokaev reiterated his displeasure over Steve Erceg being given the final shot at the flyweight title by Alexandre Pantoja after only three fights at UFC, pointing out that despite having more finishes at UFC than “Astro Boy” had in all his UFC fights combined at the time, he still didn’t get a bid for the gold.
UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad, Saturday at 10pm ET on ESPN+. Order now! Mokaev insists he just wants to fight a title as soon as possible and isn’t concerned about fight money. The Dagestan-born Briton maintains that a fighter’s salary has never been a concern for him, despite being one of the lowest-paid fighters on the roster.
“This is the final battle. [of my deal] “This is my last fight under my contract with UFC,” Mokaev said on SiriusXM’s MMA Today. “This is my last fight under my contract and I have to perform well to negotiate a new contract, and that depends on my performance.”
“I want to chase the gold medal and hope the UFC gives me a contract… I just want to fight for the belt. Even if they give me one more fight after this. I already look like they gave it to Erceg. [the title
shot after] 3 fights. 6 fights. He has more finishes in the UFC than Erceg. [has] “I’m not allowed to fight at UFC, but they’re giving him the opportunity, not me. So it doesn’t matter if I fight them now or when I defend my belt. I’m going to fight them anyway. And money is not an issue for me. I don’t negotiate money with UFC. I’m currently making the lowest salary of any fighter and I’m never going to ask for much to get my name out there in a fight.”
