LONDON – Muhammad Mokaev beat Jafel Filho with a third-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 286 at The O2 in London.
Take a look inside the fight with Mokaev, who stayed perfect and got his second straight third-round submission finish.
Jafel Filho vs. Muhammad Mokaev
Result: Muhammad Mokaev def. Jafel Filho via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:32
Updated records: Mokaev (9-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC), Filho (14-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stat: Mokaev had to fend off two solid submission attempts from Filho, but had more than eight minutes of total control time in the fight.
Mokaev on the fight's key moment
![](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/91/2023/03/muhammad-mokaev-jafel-filho-ufc-286-19.jpg)
“(I didn’t tap to the kneebar) because I know I’m resting next month – Ramadan. In three, four days, I’m going to rest. So I don’t want to rest (after) tapping. I’m not going to sleep for 30 days (if I tapped).”
Mokaev on his future
![](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/91/2023/03/muhammad-mokaev-jafel-filho-ufc-286-15.jpg)
“I hope (future opponents) see this like I’m sometimes in a bad situation (and) they think I’m a weak guy. It’s OK. I hope I won’t find problems to (get) opponents.”
Mokaev on what he wants next
![](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/91/2023/03/jake-hadley-malcolm-gordon-ufc-286-10.jpg)
“To be honest, I want to fight tough guys. There are tougher guys (than Jake Hadley) – Matheus Nicolau, there’s (Amir) Albazi, top 10. I want to fight hard guys who knock me down, (and) I get up. I want guys like this. (Hadley is) going backwards – he’s the exact level for me as Malcolm Gordon. I think that he’s is nothing special, but if he enters the top 12, 11, it’s possible. But now, I go back, I beat him, and they say, ‘You beat Jake Hadley. He’s like a crackhead from Birmingham.'”
To hear more from Mokaev, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.