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In the world of mixed martial arts, controversies and claims of unfairness are not uncommon. One such claim has recently emerged from Jafel Filho, who is alleging that Muhammad Mokaev, his opponent at UFC 286, tapped to not one but three submission attempts. This claim has caught the attention of the MMA community, and fans and pundits alike are waiting to see what happens next.
The fight ultimately carried and generated several fascinating tales, even though neither guy had anything at risk outside their victory bonus. But first probably most important, Mokaev appeared to have a seriously injured shoulder before he began fighting after choosing physical therapy over surgery to take part in the event.
The injury drama grew inside the third round when Mokaev's knee was severely fully extended because of Filho latching on to the tight kneebar and cranking out the submission. Mokaev persevered through the obvious discomfort and probable tendon tears to wrestle his way to Filho's back and apply a face crank that eventually caused the former Shooto champion to concede shortly before the final buzzer.
Earlier during the first round, when Mokaev was mostly on the peak in Filho's guard, the two players engaged in an odd conversation. The Dagestani-born fighter seemed to tap Filho on the back multiple times when they were in a somewhat basal state. That was immediately seized upon by fans as a potential flashpoint for debate.
Although Filho didn't look like he was responding at either the time as if the bout had finished. Although Filho continued to hunt for chances to use his hips, Mokaev continued to wrestle in defense. No one made any arguments, and the referee missed it.
In perspective, it appears that Filho wishes the decision to be re-evaluated. The Brazilian claimed in an interview with MMA Fighting that he honestly felt Mokaev tap three times.
“[Mokaev tapped] at least three times,” Filho said of his loss at UFC 286. “I felt him tapping on my back like he was hiding, with malice. There was another situation I went for the guillotine and then attacked his injured shoulder, he tapped and I loosened it up a little bit.
“I was looking at the referee the entire time. The kneebar, I felt him tapping with his foot and the referee asked him, ‘Tap?’ I loosened it, and he was able to twist his knee a little bit.”
In a brief interview on The MMA Hour podcast with Ariel Helwani, Mokaev was quick to defend the debate.
“Listen, Ariel, if I didn’t tap to my knee, do you think I would tap to—what he said? Guillotine, right?” Mokaev laughed when asked about the phantom tap. “Guillotine wasn’t even locked. How the hell people would actually believe I would tap to this guillotine that can’t put me to sleep?
Filho reported that his manager Andre Pederneiras is analyzing the tape to decide if he should challenge and try to get the verdict overturned. The Brazilian flyweight stated he recognizes Mokaev as a fighter and doesn't have any animosity against him, but he'd adore facing the English-Russian fighter again in the future.