Wigan's Muhammad Mokaev gets big UFC chance Stateside

The 23-year-old, who went to the Deanery and St John Rigby College after arriving in Wigan as a refugee from Dagestan, will fight Alex Perez on March 2.

It will be first fight of 2024, and a maiden chance to impress fans who have previously only seen him on TV.

Mokaev, who has a perfect record since joining UFC two years ago, is now ranked No.8 in the flyweight rankings.

He previously boasted a 23-0 record at amateur level - which included back-to-back junior bantamweight titles at the IMMAF World Championships in 2018 and 2019.

However, he will be tested against 31-year-old Perez, a seasoned contender, who has 24 wins from his 31 fights.

The bout was initially scheduled to be part of the UFC's maiden card in Saudi Arabia, but that has now been moved to this summer.

Mokaev did the groundwork for his US opportunity in the aftermath of his most recent win over Tim Elliott at UFC 294 last October.

He made a cheeky request to UFC supremo Dana White, who was later asked the question by a reporter.

White interjected: "I just saw him, and he was terrorising me in the back. We'll figure something out for him."

The reporter continued: "He hasn't fought in the United States yet, he seems very interested, he wants to fight in Las Vegas...do you want to bring him Stateside?"

White replied: "Listen, when kids tell me they want to fight here or there, I try to make it happen.”