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After taking Johnson to a decision, Mokaev had the entire flyweight top-15 on the tip of his tongue, but finding a fight proved difficult – a reality he found rather annoying.
“I need to be the youngest UFC champion,” he said. “I need to fight top 15 guys, and I believe in top 15 guys, (there are) a lot of easy fights for me. I already called out big names. And when I call out somebody, it doesn’t mean it’s for show. (UFC matchmaker) Mick Maynard, he knows I am ready to sign a new contract against any opponent. He knows this. So it’s not like I call out just for the hype.”
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Mokaev was a little self-critical when it came to his sophomore outing. He criticized Johnson for fighting “to survive” rather than to win, but he relished the opportunity to get a good three rounds of work under his belt.