A pivotal Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight
contest is the first official fight booked for the Abu Dhabi card
in October.
The promotion intends on returning to the Etihad Arena on Yas
Island at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Oct. 21. No fight had
been booked for the show in a little over three months until
Friday, when Eurosport
NL reported that Tim Elliott
(19-12-1) would be battling it out with Muhammad
Mokaev (10-0, 1 NC) on the billing. The Missouri-based
flyweight
confirmed the pairing on Instagram along with other
outlets shortly after its announcement.
Triumphant in his last two, Elliott is currently riding the longest
win streak of his two UFC stints. On two previous occasions,
Elliott had strung a pair of victories together, but he had never
been able to amass a third. In 2022, he upset Tagir
Ulanbekov to remain a ranked contender. In June, the former
Glory MMA & Fitness staple picked up a hard-fought decision over
Victor
Altamirano. Elliott has gone the distance in each of his last
five fights.
While Elliott has heard the final bell in every one of his recent
encounters, the same could not be said for rising flyweight
contender Mokaev, who has pulled off four submissions in his last
five pro outings. Debuting in the UFC in March 2022, Mokaev hit a
guillotine choke on Cody Durden
to announce himself to the division. A win on the scorecards over
Charles
Johnson and a late armbar of Malcolm
Gordon completed his rock-solid 2022 campaign. The
Dagestan-born Brit last competed in March, where he hit a neck
crank on Jafel Filho
with 28 seconds left in the bout.