Tom Aspinall Sympathetic Towards Muhammad Mokaev; Calls Decision to Cut Him From UFC ‘Shame’

Tom Aspinall expressed sympathy towards Muhammad Mokaev, calling the UFC's decision to cut him a "shame."

By Debmallya Chakraborty

Published on Aug 05, 2024 | 05:01 PM IST | 88.6K

Tom Aspinall, and Muhammad Mokaev

Tom Aspinall has provided his two cents on the Muhammad Mokaev controversy. The latter has emerged as an exceptional case in the UFC. The undefeated fighter, who last won his bout against Manel Kape, was thrown out of the UFC recently. Leading up to the fight, both Manel Kape and Muhammad Mokaev had significant bad blood going on between them. Just days before their fight, members of both teams got involved in a heated altercation to hype up the match further.

However, once the match started, there was very little that Manel Kape could do. Labeled as the virtual number one contender to fight for the UFC flyweight belt, Mokaev got his hands raised after outclassing his opponent in a striking masterclass. However, in a shocking turn of events, Dana White announced that he will be cutting Mokaev from the UFC roster, and he is free to fight under any promotion he wishes to.

Citing reasons why he did so, White stated that the match makers in the UFC were not interested in booking Mokaev anymore. White also went on to say that Mokaev can surely get into the PFL, where he might be an asset for the promotion. Interestingly, Conor McGregor too, supported White in his decision of firing Mokaev. However, in a recent interview with Carl Froch on YouTube, UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has a different point of view to share.

Reflecting on the matter, Tom Aspinall mentioned that cutting off a fighter like Muhammad Mokaev was a ‘shame’ for the UFC. He also proved his point by saying, “This has happened before, all this beef in the hotel... it's not the first time so I think it's a bit unfair on him just to kick him out indefinitely.” As a matter of fact, PFL has denied signing Mokaev too, and as per recent reports, the fighter wants to fight for free in the UFC.

And while the Muhammad Mokaev situation is quite complex, Tom Aspinall has his own complications to deal with. Aspinall, who just beat Curtis Blaydes within a minute, is now eagerly waiting for a chance to fight Jon Jones. Sending a message about being the better fighter among the two, Aspinall teased Jon Jones following his victory.

However, Jon Jones will be fighting Stipe Miocic next. And according to Dana White, Aspinall will be there too as a backup. Interestingly, if Jones manages to defend his title, his next bout, in all probability, will be Tom Aspinall. Thus, with the stakes going higher than ever, it remains to be seen how things pan out in the future.

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