MUHAMMAD MOKAEV somehow escaped a knee-bending lock to beat Jafel Filho by submission himself.
The flyweight looked in all sorts of trouble in the third and final round as his leg was twisted in a knee bar.
But the former amateur world champion refused to tap out and eventually got back to his feet.
And Mokaev will be glad he did too as he managed to take Filho down and secure a rear naked choke.
Filho was unable to break free and was forced to tap out, securing Mokaev a remarkable turnaround victory.
The Russian-born Manchester-raised prospect was left barely able to walk as he hobbled to his feet in celebration of his tenth pro win.
Mokaev said: “To be honest DC, I need to finish.
“This is my fourth fight in 12 months. I’m 22-years-old, I will be ranked number ten after this fight, after Jon Jones, who else is doing this?”
UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall – working for BT Box Office – was full of praise for the resilient Mokaev.
Aspinall said: “What did I say about this man’s mentality? This man is different to the rest.
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“The stuff that this guy’s been through in his personal life, the guy has been through so much adversity.
“The guy is not going to give up with something like that.
“His mental strength, his physical strength, 95 per cent of people at least, 99 per cent would have definitely tapped to that technique.”
GettyMuhammad Mokaev celebrates victory[/caption] Read More