Muhammad Mokaev gets Apex date, faces Alex Perez at UFC Vegas 87

Undefeated British flyweight Muhammad Mokaev has a name and a date, with “The Punisher” set to return to action against former title challenger at the UFC Apex on March 2.

Mokaev, who currently sits eighth in the UFC’s official flyweight rankings, is keen to continue fighting his way up the ladder as he bids to break into championship contention at 125 pounds.

His next test will see him face off against the next man above him in the flyweight top 10. Alex Perez hasn’t competed since a first-round submission defeat to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 277 in the summer of 2022. His last bout prior to that came back in November 2020, another first-round submission loss, this time in a title challenge against then-champ Deiveson Figueiredo. His last victory came back in June 2020, via first-round leg-kick TKO over Jussier Formiga at UFC 250.

Perez’s recent career has been blighted by a succession of cancelled fights. Since his loss to Figueiredo in 2020, Perez has seen no fewer than nine fights fall by the wayside, with a variety of issues, including weight misses, medical issues and injuries forcing either Perez or his opponent out of the matchup.

While Perez’s activity has been severely hampered, Mokaev has relentlessly stacked wins to position himself within striking distance of the division’s elite.

Since signing for the UFC, Mokaev has reeled off five consecutive victories. His Octagon debut saw him submit Cody Durden in 58 seconds in London in March 2022, then he followed up with a unanimous decision win over former LFA champion Charles Johnson four months later.

Since then, “The Punisher” has appeared on three straight pay-per-view cards, and claimed a hat-trick of third-round submission finishes in the process. Malcolm Gordon was dispatched via armbar at UFC 280, while Jafel Filho was finished via rear-naked choke.

His most recent win saw him defeat former flyweight title challenger Tim Elliott via arm-triangle choke at UFC 294. Now he’ll face his second former challenger in successive fights as he looks to leapfrog Perez and continue his charge toward the top of the division.

Flyweight Firworks! 🔥@MuhammadMokaev faces Alex Perez next month at #UFCVegas87! pic.twitter.com/CSEfaVdY0D

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) February 5, 2024

UFC Vegas 87: Confirmed fights

• Alex Perez vs. Muhammad Mokaev
• Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev
• Eryk Anders vs. Jamie Pickett
• Joel Alvarez vs. Ludovit Klein
• Vinicius Oliveira vs. Yanis Ghemmouri
• Javid Basharat vs. Aiemann Zahabi
• Mohammad Yayha vs. Brendon Marotte
• Loik Radzhabov vs. Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady
• Julia Polastri vs. Josefine Knutsson
• Vitor Petrino vs. Tyson Pedro
• Matt Schnell vs. Steve Erczeg
• Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Claudio Ribeiro