Wigan's Muhammad Mokaev makes emphatic statement following UFC exit

The 24-year-old, who was born in Dagestan before arriving in Wigan as a refugee in 2012, was making his debut for the BRAVE CF promotion in Bahrain.

And he made light work of Joevincent 'Chain' So, who stepped in at short notice after his original opponent, Luthandro Biko, pulled out.

So lasted less than two minutes against Mokaev, who won via submission to take his record in MMA to 14-0, on the back of a 23-0 streak as an amateur.

"So many opponents pulling out shows why I am the best flyweight in the world," he said after the contest. "So many people called me out on paper, but it's all different in the real life."

Mokaev, however, did little to build any bridges with the UFC - with whom he would love to re-sign - by claiming his purse for the weekend was 'three times more than the UFC'.

It’s five months since UFC chief Dana White confirmed Mokaev’s contract would not be extended despite him having a 7-0 record in the organisation.

The decision prompted widespread criticism both here in the north west and around the world.

White said the decision had been made based on Mokaev’s conduct outside the Octagon as much as his performances inside it.

“Look, the stuff that's played out here over the last few months, other stories that are just breaking out, there's many things,” he said. “These guys just don't want to re-sign him."