Shortly after Mokaev captured the promotion’s 125-pound title at BRAVE CF 100 in Bahrain, he watched with interest as Borislav Nikolic retained the bantamweight title against Hamza Kooheji in the night’s main event at Khalifa Sports City in Isa Town.
Moments after Nikolic had been declared the victor and presented with his championship belt, Mokaev entered the cage to confront the bantamweight champion. It ignited a verbal back-and-forth between the pair that made a championship meeting between them an essential encounter for BRAVE CF matchmaker Sam Brett to book for 2026.
While Mokaev has consistently proved himself as one of the elite flyweights on the planet, he’s now ready to prove that he can repeat the feat in a higher weight class, and he’s ready to jump straight in with the champion and capture the title at the first attempt.
“The bantamweight belt is the next mountain I want to climb,” said Mokaev.
“A matchup with Borislav Nikolic is the fight that makes the most sense, and I’m ready for it.”
Nikolic has expressed his willingness to take on Mokaev, but made one condition to him accepting a champion-versus-champion bout with the former UFC star, as he requested that the matchup take place in his native Serbia so he can put his title on the line on home soil.
Mokaev said he had no problem with that condition, and stated that he would be more than happy to head into Nikolic’s back yard to challenge for the bantamweight crown.
“If he wants it in Serbia, then Serbia it is,” he said.
“I’ll take the belt from him right in his own back yard.
“A conqueror doesn’t wait for the perfect place or the perfect time. A conqueror just conquers.”
