"I’m here without the opponent" - Muhammad Mokaev calls out "another tough challenger" after Brandon Royval goes "silent"

Since not receiving the UFC 301 flyweight title fight, Muhammad Mokaev has shifted his attention to a new potential opponent.

Having been vocal about his career desires on social media since his UFC debut, Mokaev has recently been in hot pursuit of a fight with no. 1 ranked Brandon Royval. Now, with Steve Erceg being booked in the UFC 301 flyweight title fight against Alexandre Pantoja, Mokaev has named his new target.

In a March 28 tweet, Mokaev claimed Royval 'went silent' and claimed his new goal is to face Kai Kara-France. The tweet read:

"Royval went silent. But I have another tough challenger it's Kair Kara France. When I came to the UFC Kai Kara said when this kid will reach top 10 I will fight him, let's do it bro. I'm here without the opponent"

As of March 28, Mokaev is no. 7 in the UFC flyweight rankings, with Kara-France three spots above him at no. 4. Mokaev recalled Kara-France being impressed with his UFC debut win over Cody Durden and showing interest in a future matchup.

Kara-France has not fought since losing a split decision to Amir Albazi in the UFC Vegas 74 main event. The loss was the second straight for 'Don't Blink,' who previously fell to Brandon Moreno at UFC 277 for the interim flyweight championship.

Mokaev, 12-0 with one no-contest, picked up a win over former title challenger Alex Perez at UFC Vegas 87, his sixth in the UFC. Fans considered him to be a possibility for the next opponent of Pantoja but was ultimately passed up for Erceg, the no. 10 ranked contender.

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Muhammad Mokaev's 6-0 UFC run

British prospect Muhammad Mokaev hit the ground running in the UFC with a 58-second submission of Cody Durden in his Octagon debut but has since not advanced as far as some fans had hoped in six promotional appearances.

Mokaev has remained undefeated, but many have not been impressed with his recent lackluster performances. 'The Punisher' has four submissions in his last six wins but struggled in many of those fights, including narrowly escaping a submission attempt as a near 10-1 favorite.

Through his first six UFC fights, Mokaev has picked up wins over Durden, Charles Johnson, Malcolm Gordon, Jafel Filho, Tim Elliott, and Alex Perez.

Despite back-to-back wins over top 10 ranked opponents, Mokaev was criticized for his middling win over Perez, who returned off a 20-month layoff. Consequently, Mokaev was not given the championship opportunity at UFC 301 in favor of Steve Erceg, who knocked out Matt Schnell two fights before he walked out on March 2.