ABU DHABI – Muhammad Mokaev remained undefeated at UFC 280, but it didn’t come without adversity.
Malcolm Gordon started gaining momentum midway through the fight by winning some grappling exchanges against Mokaev (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), but the 22-year-old’s mat skills proved to be too much when he scored an armbar of Gordon (14-6 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at the 4:26 mark of Round 3 on Saturday at Etihad Arena.
Check out the replay of Mokaev’s finish below (via Twitter):
WHAT A FINISH FOR @MUHAMMADMOKAEV 🤯 #UFC280 pic.twitter.com/oDPdpUBb1V
— UFC (@ufc) October 22, 2022
With the finish, Mokaev moves to 3-0 in the octagon and notches his fourth-career submission. The rising contender, who has aspirations of becoming the youngest UFC champion in history, told MMA Junkie in his pre-fight interview that he was hoping to score a finish and earn his blackbelt. Mokaev is a purple belt in jiu-jitsu.
Up-to-the-minute results of UFC 280 include:
- Muhammad Mokaev def. Malcolm Gordon via submission (armbar) – Round 3, 4:26
- Karol Rosa def. Lina Lansberg via majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.