Ex-UFC Star Books Fight with Ilia Topuria's Promotion after MVP MMA 1 Withdrawal

After missing out on a scheduled bout on this Saturday’s MVP MMA 1 card, arguably the best flyweight in the world has a fight booked for next month.

Going head to head with a UFC Vegas 117 card that’s already taken a couple of hits during fight week, MVP MMA 1 is set to take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA on Saturday night and features a headlining bout between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano.

Netflix and Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions made a serious effort to stack the rest of the Rousey vs. Carano card with some major names and legitimately intriguing MMA bouts, and one of those matchups was supposed to see Muhammad Mokaev square off with former ONE Championship titleholder Adriano Moraes.

Muhammad Mokaev Books WoW FC 31 Fight After MVP MMA 1 Visa Issues

Mokaev announced over the weekend that he unfortunately won't be able to fight at MVP MMA 1 due to via issues, and Moraes is now set to take on another undefeated talent in A1 Combat Flyweight Champion Phumi Nkuta.

“The Punisher” began teasing an announcement for his next fight not long after breaking the news about the Moraes matchup, and the 25-year-old is now set to square off with Jorge Calvo in the co-main event of Way of the Warrior FC 31 in Madrid, Spain on June 6.

"The Punisher" Looks to Add Another Post-UFC Win Against Credentialed Calvo

A veteran of 27 professional MMA bouts, Calvo saw an eight-fight win streak and lengthy reign as the Lux Fight League flyweight champion come to an end in his last bout when he dropped a decision to Paulino Siller at LFL 58.

The Costa Rican will have a massive opportunity in front of him when he debuts for WoW FC, which is partially owned by UFC Lightweight Champion Ilia Topuria. Mokaev is a perfect 15-0 in his professional MMA career, and he’s collected three wins since leaving the UFC in 2024.

The undefeated star, who went 23-0 as an amateur before turning pro in 2020, looked to have secured himself a flyweight title shot when he defeated Manel Kape at UFC 304 before his unexpected exit from the UFC.

Fans were treated to a tremendous flyweight title bout last weekend at UFC 328, as Joshua Van defended his belt for the first time with a fifth-round stoppage against Tatsuro Taira in the night’s co-main event.

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