Muhammad Mokaev is out of next weekend’s Rousey vs. Carano event.
Most Valuable promotions announced on Saturday that Mokaev is out of his scheduled bout with former ONE champion Adriano Moraes due to “visa delays.” Stepping in is one of the sport’s best prospects, the 11-0 Phumi Nkuta.
The bout will take place at a catchweight of 130 pounds and takes place as part of the six-fight preliminary card.
Nkuta recently captured the A1 Combat flyweight title in March with a decision win over Namiki Kawahara. Many believe Nkuta has been UFC ready for years, but has still somehow not been fully signed to a major promotion. “Turbo” has also picked up victories for LFA and Bellator throughout his impressive pro run.
Moraes competes for the first time since ending his 18-fight run with ONE Championship — where he competed against Demetrious Johnson in a trilogy. In their first meeting, Moraes destroyed Johnson with a brutal second-round knockout, but ultimately lost the series after “Mighty” won the next two bouts.
MVP’s first MMA event is headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano, and also features a welterweight tilt between Nate Diaz and Mike Perry.
