If there is someone who knows how rubbing Dana White and the other executives the wrong way can have consequences, it’s Muhammad Mokaev. The former UFC flyweight fighter was shown the door after his UFC 304 matchup against Manel Kape, which he won. The CEO’s reason involved the matchmaking team’s Hunter Campbell and others, “weren’t happy with him.” Those words really affected Mokaev, but ‘The Punisher’ doesn’t seem too dejected.

Muhammad Mokaev has been keeping himself busy with active competition after his UFC departure last year. The 25-year-old is back at his former promotion, Brave CF, and is fighting in November on the promotion’s 100th global event. However, the flyweight fighter’s eyes are all set on a potential return to the UFC.

Muhammad Mokaev thanks Dana White and Co. despite their criticism

Muhammad Mokaev claims that he’s currently in a very comfortable position. Even though he never got to fight for the UFC title and bank that championship payday, the Dagestan-born fighter has no problems when it comes to money. The only thing he’s fighting for now is to make sure that he attains his UFC gold dream. “I’m fighting back for my dream, that’s why. A lot of people [say] like, ‘We need [to] get you back. We need [to] get you belt.’ And that’s why I’m still going with my career. Financially, today I can finish my career and chill with my family and travel around the world,” the ex-UFC 125er told MMA Fighting.

After Dana White‘s comments following his exit from the UFC went viral, Mokaev claims his reputation took a hit because people started thinking that he’s someone who’s tough to work with. He says not everything they said was true, but despite the setback, Muhammad Mokaev is thankful to the UFC for putting him on the map and helping him make millions and buy a house of his own, which appears to have been one of the Dagestan-born fighter’s dreams.

“Something that’s not true cannot come out like this and ruin somebody’s reputation… My reputation has never been ruined by the people who actually knew me, knew me before UFC and after UFC,” the former UFC flyweight fighter further stated. But he’s not angry and is willing to make his way back to the promotion. As such, he added, “UFC helped me to build my brand, helped me to get on my feet. I didn’t have a house. I was renting house. Now, I have everything. Because of one thing what they said on the media doesn’t mean they’re bad people.”

Being a UFC fighter and exiting the promotion without losing a single fight worked out because Mokaev claims his name value increased after getting released. “I think the UFC releasing me made my name even bigger. [Those] who didn’t know me, they found out about I’m 7-0, got cut the first time in history, and it made me even bigger.”

And Mokaev was not actually cut. His contract was complete, and the UFC chose not to renew him. Difficulty in matchmaking, backstage altercations, and wrestling-heavy fighting style were all reasons discussed behind the choice. But it led to him re-signing with Brave CF for, in his own words, three times his UFC salary. In September last year, he claimed on X that he was the “Highest paid flyweight fighter in the world right now without holding the title.”

Well, Muhammad Mokaev heaping praise on Dana White and Co. should not come as a surprise to the fans. Why? That’s because when Muhammad Mokaev was involved in a car crash following his UFC exit, the CEO sent him some money to take care of himself. That gesture from White earned Mokaev’s respect.

Mokaev may assert that his name has gotten bigger after his UFC exit. But there were times when UFC’s rival promotion, the PFL, said they wanted nothing to do with the flyweight fighter. According to Mokaev, the opposite happened.

PFL lied about not wanting Mokaev, the flyweight fighter reveals

Muhammad Mokaev revealed that after his UFC departure, many promotions contacted him, with PFL being one of them. Despite their negative statement, the Dagestan-born fighter confirmed to have been offered a title shot against now-UFC fighter Patchy Mix. However, he could not get a work permit in the States, and he blamed it on the negative notion that started building up after he left Dana White’s promotion.

“PFL said, ‘We don’t want him,’ but that wasn’t true. I got a message from them, they offered me to fight Patchy Mix for the belt,” Mokaev further added. “I accepted it, but I couldn’t get a working visa. That’s what got me upset. I hadn’t done anything, yet they put me in the media as a bad guy.”

Setbacks are part of life, but Muhammad Mokaev doesn’t seem too affected by the way things went down between him and his former promotion. He’s still young and has a lot of room to grow. And since the UFC is all about having the best fighters on its roster, there is a chance that ‘The Punisher’ makes his way back in the coming years. What do you think?