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After a tumultuous couple of weeks, it seems like Muhammad Mokaev wants to be back in the UFC after all. Elsewhere, some unconvinced fans questioned Terence Crawford's win over Israil Madrimov.
Here are your day's top combat sports updates, presented by Sportskeeda MMA.
Muhammad Mokaev brushes off PFL, begs UFC for a chance
Muhammad Mokaev is remorseful of his recent actions towards his opponent and is ready to atone. He told Farah Hannoun in an interview with MMA Junkie that he's even ready to fight for free if given an opportunity.
"I said to Hunter Campbell - I said, 'Whatever I've done at the hotel, I'm ready to pay for that and fight [my] next fight in UFC for free for the trouble I made'. I think it's unprofessional, but it was something that was in my heart for a long time."
After Dana White announced that Mokaev would not be re-signed after UFC 304, it was rumored that he tried to negotiate with the PFL while still being under contract with his previous employers. UFC matchmakers didn't take to it too kindly, as per reports.
However, earlier this week, PFL president Ray Sefo shot the matter down:
"I've spoken to people that are in the know, and apparently he's just a pain in the a*s to deal with. And so, no, we're not interested."
Mokaev responded:
"Of course, you gonna say this. I never accepted your deals. Nice move."
Terence Crawford's unanimous decision win meets with criticism
Terence Crawford became a four-division boxing world champion on Saturday night beating Israil Madrimov and capturing the WBA junior middleweight title with a unanimous decision victory.
The scorecard was 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113 in 'Bud's' favor, which didn't sit too well with some fans. While many thought that despite the close nature of the fight, Crawford did enough to seal the win, others said that it was a "robbery."
One fan said:
"Corrupt. Crawford exposed and everyone knows it."
Another wrote:
"Rigged. I am calling cops."
A third said:
"Pure delusion by all of the judges."
Read more comments here.
Dana White addresses being allegedly upset at Belal Muhammad's win
There's a common notion that Dana White doesn't like fighters who are not quite entertaining to become champions. Every time a fighter that fans deem "boring" wins the belt, White's every post-fight action is scrutinized to deduce a potential reaction.
The same happened after Belal Muhammad beat Leon Edwards to become the new UFC welterweight champion. White even said that the fight "wasn't a barnburner."
However, the CEO dismissed the idea in an interview with Kevin Iole. He addressed why he had a less than enthusiastic demeanor during the post-event press conference, and apparently, it had nothing to do with Muhammad:
"Let me say this to be fair, I was tired. I was in a bad mood. I was, you know, at that press conference, and you know it depends on when you catch me."
White also waved away the idea that Muhammad was not popular on social media. He revealed that while the belt wrap video for Tom Aspinall drew 8.2 million views, Muhammad's got 22 million.
