Muhammad Mokaev thinks there are plenty of U.K. fighters for fans to look up to. Paddy Pimblett doesn’t seem to be one of those.
UFC London saw Mokaev, a proud representative from England, who hails originally from Dagestan, win a decision over Charles Johnson. He shared this victory with fellow English fighters such as Pimblett and Molly McCann and Marc Diakiese and Nathaniel Wood.
Pimblett shined as the brightest star on Saturday’s card, a narrative that Mokaev isn’t pleased with as he’s not fond of how “The Baddy” carries himself publicly.
“There’s so many guys that don’t get a lot of media attention that should get it,” Mokaev said. “Example, Arnold Allen. It’s Leon Edwards. It’s Tom Aspinall. Nathaniel Wood. These men are great examples. While I respect the media, you should give Paddy Pimblett your attention.
“These guys never reach the top 15. Like, realistically, [if you understand MMA] he’ll never reach it. He’s not a role model for young men. Follow Tom Aspinall and Arnold Allen. Leon Edwards is a real man inside and out of the cage. It’s a proud honor to share the card with Tom Aspinall
Pimblett defeated Jordan Leavitt via a thrilling second-round submission on the UFC London main card, but he made fight week headlines well before he stepped into the cage. At Friday’s official weigh-ins, Pimblett mooned the cameras to send a message to people critical of how he handles his diet between fights.
These antics have annoyed Mokaev.
” This guy takes his pants off,” Mokaev stated. This is not something a man does. Women don’t do this stuff. Pulls his pants down, get fat, drink beer, like animal. Men in Liverpool, I know real Scouse people, they don’t do stuff like this. This guy is just too much. I’m not a hater, I just want to see a newer generation follow real men. If you talk about UK guys, there’s Tom Aspinall. Arnold Allen is another option. Leon Edwards. The men of the world will support you no matter what their actions are.
“Not him. If he spots a camera, he is like a real man. But if there isn’t a camera, he may be hiding. This is what I see. This is the energy I feel. This is my energy.
As if to drive the point home, Mokaev addressed his own behavior on social media (specifically an image of himself brandishing an AK-47 rifle) and apologized to Johnson for a brief scuffle that Mokaev initiated at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins.
” I think [social media does play a big part in MMA],” Mokaev stated. “My fight was a bit quiet, so I posted a picture with an AK-47 when I was in Dagestan. I was sitting in my friend’s car and there was an AK-47, I said let me take a picture. So, I snapped a photo, and posted it. I don’t think this is a good idea. I’m just a normal guy from Wigan, I grew up there, but from Dagestan. Normal, and I do not want to be a threat.
“I told Charles after my fight, I want to apologize about putting a finger up [in Johnson’s face] at the weigh-ins. It isn’t my style. Because I spent a wild week in Russia with this bulls*** politician, I felt a bit emotional. [The politician] tried to call me a traitor for lifting the U.K. flag. A little bit of this week my head was off the fight.”
Watch Mokaev’s UFC London media scrum, courtesy of Cageside Press.
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