In an unexpected turn of events, a grappling match between Raul Rosas Jr. and Muhammad Mokaev is in the works.
At just 20 years old, Raul Rosas Jr. has already made history as the youngest star ever signed to the UFC. Competing in the bantamweight division, Rosas boasts an impressive 10-1 professional record. His UFC debut at UFC 282 saw him submit Jay Perrin in the first round, cementing his status as a rising star in the promotion.
Muhammad Mokaev, 24, was recently released from the UFC despite an undefeated 13-0-1 record in MMA. Known for his wrestling-heavy style, Mokaev had aspirations of becoming the youngest UFC champion, aiming to surpass Jon Jones’ record. However, his title shot hopes were dashed when Steve Erceg was booked to face Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight championship.
Interestingly, neither has a stellar reputation in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu circles. Mokaev recently faced controversy at the BJJ 247 Manchester Open 2024, where he was disqualified for slamming an opponent from closed guard. This incident, coupled with a quick submission loss in the same tournament, has raised questions about his grappling prowess outside of MMA.
Rosas Jr., while impressive in his MMA career, has yet to prove himself against high-level BJJ practitioners. His encounter with UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling during a BJJ class sparked controversy, with Sterling accusing the young star of disrespectful behavior and questionable etiquette.
“I want to grapple him again.”
“I grappled him twice. The second time was like I went there to drill. And then they did, like, just king of the mat. And then he started, like I told him like I was taking the easy for the day, just trying to, like, get a sweat in and not go crazy.”
“And he was, like, trying to pass my guard, but doing like this DJ on my head, I was like, Why? I start, I laugh, like, chuckle. Okay. So that’s being a little bit of a kind of like a little, little prick right now.”
“I don’t know, like, I barely know this kid, but I look over to the right and there’s his dad with the f***ing camera.”
“I’m like, Oh, it’s a f***ing show and tell right now. This is what you guys doing? You guys are just recording s*it. Don’t say nothing. I’m like, Okay, cool. ”
“You guys have champions that come here, you guys. It’s completely disrespectful. That’s just a s*itty personality. You would think a kid would have had a little bit more… Not a kid.”
“But you think they would have. Someone would have taught him, like, some etiquette, like going into gyms and stuff and working out with other people, but I guess not.”
It’s unclear what promotion has booked these two as of yet, the front runner is ADXC.
Update:
It’s official. ADXC, October 26th:
