A grappling match between top MMA fighters Muhammad Mokaev and Raul Rosas Jr has been cancelled on less than one week’s notice, and one of the men is blaming the situation on the UFC. They were supposed to compete in the main event of ADXC 6 on October 25th, 2024 but now the promotion is scrambling to find a replacement in just a few days. Rosas Jr is the only one of the two fighters who is currently under contract with the UFC, and it’s Mokaev who has claimed that the promotion itself is what is to blame for the match falling through at the last minute.
The UFC do have exclusivity clauses built in to all of their contracts and all fighters have to get permission from the promotion to compete elsewhere, even if it just for a grappling match. It’s pretty common for the UFC to allow it’s fighters to take grappling matches though, and many have competed for the Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship and other major promotions in recent years. In fact, Rosas Jr wasn’t even going to be the only man under UFC contract on the ADXC 6 card, as top-ranked flyweight Tagir Ulanbekov is due to compete in the co-main event.
Although the UFC does generally allow it’s fighters to take grappling matches, it would make sense to protect a top prospect like Rosas Jr. The 20 year-old is currently 10-1 and riding a three-fight winning streak, so he’s going to be very important to the bantamweight division in the near-future. It’s also possible that the problem doesn’t lie with Raul Rosas Jr taking a grappling match though, as Muhammad Mokaev has had some pretty bad blood with the UFC recently. The UFC chose not to renew his contract despite his undefeated record, and Dana White cited ‘many different reasons’ for his departure.
Muhammad Mokaev made the claim that the UFC were to blame for his grappling match with Raul Rosas Jr falling through in a recent post to his official Twitter account:
I have a lot of respect towards @raulrosasjr
Unfortunately UFC didn’t let him to compete
I wish you all the best bro! pic.twitter.com/RuCV6Uo4mK— Muhammad Mokaev (@muhammadmokaev) October 21, 2024
