Muhammad Mokaev says he suffered ‘partial’ MCL tear at UFC 286, plans to be back training in 6-8 weeks

It appears Muhammad Mokaev’s leg injury suffered at the UFC’s most recent pay-per-view event is not as severe as it looked.

During Mokaev’s third-round submission win over Jafel Filho at UFC 286, the undefeated prospect found himself in a nasty leg lock that looked quite dicey, not to mention extremely painful, and refused to tap. Mokaev was eventually able to fight out of the position and lock in a rear naked choke to finish the fight in the final 30 seconds, and was visibly favoring the injured left leg following the victory.

On Thursday, Mokaev revealed that he will be out for six to eight weeks with the injury, which he also disclosed was a Grade 2 “partial tear” of his MCL.

“6-8 weeks I will be back training,” Mokaev stated. “Thank you for all your messages, I received crazy amount of the support about my knee! It’s a strap season for me and my people! I will be champion one day InshaAllah.”

The 21-year-old also noted that he would not need surgery for the MCL tear, but plans to do another scan when the swelling goes down.

Since signing with the UFC, Mokaev is 4-0 inside of the octagon with three submission finishes.