August 15, 2024 8:00 am ET
PERTH, Australia – Steve Erceg thinks Muhammad Mokaev solely has himself in charge for now not being a UFC fighter.
The UFC opted to not re-sign Mokaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) after the 23-year-old accomplished his contract at UFC 304 in July. Mokaev remained unbeaten when he defeated top contender Manel Kape, however the promotion wasn’t all in favour of conserving him round.
UFC CEO Dana White defined that matchmakers weren’t proud of Mokaev, with rumors swirling that it was one thing to do his conduct – not his preventing fashion. Erceg (12-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) says Mokaev’s destiny is self-inflicted.
“I don’t wish to kick a person when he’s down as a lot as doable,” Erceg stated at Wednesday’s UFC 305 media day. “However yeah, he made some selections, he didn’t make a fan of individuals I assume. Not the followers, clearly the individuals within the firm. So, I really feel unhealthy for what occurred to him, however I assume he did it to himself.”
Erceg will look to rebound from his title loss to flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja when he meets Kai Kara-France (24-11 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 305 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) co-main occasion at RAC Enviornment in Perth, Australia. “He’s an excellent fighter,” Erceg stated of Kara-France. “He’s tremendous explosive, excellent takedown protection, and he hits actually exhausting. So, I undoubtedly must thoughts my p’s and q’s, however I simply assume I’m higher on the finish of the day. We’re going to seek out out on Sunday morning.”
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