Mokaev earns submission victory against Filho at UFC 286

Mohammad Mokaev earns submission victory at UFC 286 after thrilling fight with Jafel Filho in the O2 Arena… as British flyweight claims he was ‘waiting until my knee RIPS’ after suffering injury in the third round

• Mohammad Mokaev battled through adversity to earn a submission at UFC 286 
• The British flyweight was nearly submitted via a knee-bar earlier in the fight
• Mokaev secured the submission, however looked to be struggling with his knee 

Mohammad Mokaev earned a submission victory at UFC 286 after a thrilling fight with Jafel Filho at the O2 Arena.

The British flyweight kick-started the card’s pre-lim fights, and expectations were high considering the nine-fight win-streak he held heading into the bout. 

And the 22-year-old did not disappoint as he managed to produce a stunning finish to the fight, with a minute and a half remaining in the bout.

Mokaev asserted his dominance from the first-round, despite an early guillotine attempt from Filho, and spent the majority of the first five minutes on top of his opponent.

The second round was slightly more lacklustre, as Mokaev and Filho remained tentative for the opening few minutes, before the Brit landed a takedown. 

British flyweight Mohammad Mokaev produced a stunning comeback to win at UFC 286

The 22-year-old battled through adversity to claim victory over Jafel Filho on Saturday

The Brit had been close to tapping after a tight kneebar, but came back to submit Filho

However, it was in the third round when Mokaev truly proved his credentials. The British flyweight had been in control but suddenly found himself locked into a deep kneebar. 

Filho looked as though he was about the produce one of the biggest upsets of the night, but fan-favourite Mokaev battled through and managed to escape the submission.

Minutes later, the 22-year-old took the back of his Brazilian counterpart and managed to pull off a rear-naked-choke to earn the victory. 

The crowd were sent into pandemonium but, as he rose to his feet, Mokaev was clearly still dealing with the damage from the attempted kneebar.

He still had the energy to rise up onto the octagon fence and celebrate the victory but later confirmed that he had expected his knee to ‘rip’ in the third round.

‘In my head, I was waiting until my knee rips. I broke his heart. He couldn’t finish me,’ the 22-year-old explained.

When asked again if he was willing to let his knee break during Filho’s submission, Mokaev said: Yes. Because I know I’m resting next month, Ramadan in three or four days.’

Source: Read Full Article