23-0 Amateur Standout Muhammad Mokaev Aiming to Become Youngest Brave CF Champion

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After a long -- and very successful -- amateur career, Muhammad Mokaev is making his mixed martial arts pro debut at Brave CF 37 on Aug. 1. The Bahraini organization had issues finding an opponent for the undefeated 20-year-old, and it's not hard to understand why. Mokaev is unblemished as an amateur, which includes 23 fights. He has also captured the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation championship twice.

Eventually, Glenn McVeigh accepted the bout with the up-and-coming Dagestan fighter on just three days' notice for a 135-pound encounter. The Northern Ireland standout also holds an impressive amateur resume, gathering an 11-5 record. According to Mokaev, his opponent crossed the line in an attempt to promote the upcoming fight. Now, “The Punisher” is looking to discipline McVeigh for his trash-talking.

Talking with Sherdog Italy correspondent Tudor Leonte, Mokaev opened up about his escape from Dagestan at the age of 12 and his goals to rewrite history in the Brave bantamweight division and become the youngest champion ever. He also talked about his dream match, which would be against former Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight kingpin and current One Championship star Demetrious Johnson.