Muhammad Mokaev expects to face Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 with win over Alex Perez

Muhammad Mokaev expects to secure a flyweight title shot with a win over Alex Perez on the main card of UFC Vegas 87 on Saturday.

Mokaev is set to return to the Octagon to face Perez as it’s a top-10 opponent for the undefeated prospect. It’s a crucial fight for both men, but Mokaev believes he can secure a title shot with a win, as he thinks the UFC wants a fresh matchup for current champ Alexandre Pantoja.

“I have trained with Pantoja after my debut and I haven’t seen anything special in him that he is priority in skill advantage. This morning he actually said he would like to fight me if I beat Alex Perez instead of Alex Perez,” Mokaev said at UFC Vegas 87 media day. “Brandon Royval, I think he has (a torn) ACL. Brandon Moreno is 0-3 against Pantoja. Royval is 0-2 against Pantoja. Kape is probably going to have one more fight because he didn’t make weight last fight. Albazi is injured. Kai Kara-France got the concussion because when I asked to fight him, Mick said he’s got a concussion, so he won’t be able to fight. Now, I’m the only challenger, but I have to beat Alex Perez in an impressive way.”

The expectation is that Alexandre Pantoja will defend his flyweight title at UFC 301 in Brazil on May 4. With Muhammad Mokaev fighting on Saturday, he says that is 10 weeks to the day which is perfect timing for him to go out and beat Perez and get right back into training camp for that fight.

“10 weeks from March 2, I already counted. I’m ready… Like I said, I have big experience in my amateur career, so I can fight every weekend,” Mokaev said.

In order for Mokaev to get the title shot, he will need to beat Alex Perez on Saturday. But, he is a sizeable betting favorite, so the oddsmakers do expect that to be the case.

Muhammad Mokaev is currently 11-0 and one No Contest in his career while being 5-0 in the UFC. He’s coming off a submission win over Tim Elliott back in October.