Nkuta accepts – Phumi Nkuta, a longtime flyweight prospect who never received a UFC call-up, will step in for Muhammad Mokaev after the UFC veteran couldn’t secure a visa in time for the United States. With a short-notice window and a chance to face former ONE flyweight champ
Phumi Nkuta didn’t have to wait for an invitation from the UFC to keep his career moving.. For years. the flyweight division’s limited reach left him with fewer big doors to knock on. and even attempts to earn a contract as a free agent. on short notice. or through The Contender Series never turned into the call he wanted.
But the moment shifted quickly when Muhammad Mokaev ran into a different kind of roadblock: he couldn’t secure a visa in time to travel to the United States for the upcoming Ronda Rousey vs.. Gina Carano card.. Nkuta was asked to replace him. and despite the disadvantage of stepping in just days after the fight offer was made. he said he agreed without hesitation—especially with the chance to face Adriano Moraes. a former ONE flyweight champion.
“You don’t got to ask me twice,” Nkuta told MMA Fighting. “I’ve been itching for a fight for a little bit. I’m on a mission to fight the best competition in the world. This is a guy that beat ‘Mighty Mouse’ [Demetrious Johnson]. I want that name on my record. So of course, I had to say yes.“
He framed the late change not as a disruption but as something he was already prepared for.. Nkuta said he was “locked in at the gym. ” sparring before the agreement. and continuing to help Alex Perez get ready for his camp ahead of a May 30 fight.. He also argued he was not coming in out of shape. saying he “probably fought maybe a month ago. a month and a half ago” and wasn’t “fat eating Twinkies and Cinnabons.”
For fans watching the Rousey vs. Carano card on Saturday, Nkuta may be new, even if hardcore observers have followed his work more closely. His record stands at 11-0.
The UFC’s lack of interest in signing him as he pursued multiple routes never became a lingering bitterness for Nkuta. he said.. Instead. he pointed to the eventual landing spot and the support around him—thanks in part to Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions—as the reason things ended up working out.
“I think if I was younger then I might be frustrated but for me it wasn’t really that frustrating because I love my life. ” Nkuta said.. “I’m at such a good point in my life.. I’ve got good people around me.. If I’m ever in a bad situation. I have so many people I can hit up on the phone and talk to.. I have a close. tight knit circle of people who I know have my back and have my best interests at heart.”
He added that the routine—taking things “one day at a time” and continuing to help train others—kept him in shape while he stayed focused on improvement: “I love martial arts as a whole.. So as long as I’m getting better everyday, that’s all that matters.. Frustrated?. No, but now that I got this fight is it rewarding?. Absolutely yes.”
The pitch also comes with a major difference from the financial structure he saw elsewhere. Nkuta said that, unlike the show-and-win approach most UFC fighters receive, MVP would pay him a flat wage versus show and win money. He described the payout as the biggest of his career.
“This is the biggest paycheck I’ve ever received in my entire life,” Nkuta said.. “The money for this fight is already life changing.. I’m just super thankful not only for the platform that they’re putting me on.. For the matchup to get to prove myself against the best in the world but to also be financially compensated what I’m getting compensated and I’m allowed to have sponsors in there.”
He called the combination of platform and compensation “almost like a dream come true even before the fight,” then said the next step was straightforward: “But now it’s time to work.”
Nkuta also spoke about the people who supported him along the way, including friends, family, and fans who celebrated his signing with MVP once rumors began circulating. He said it made him feel emotional seeing the messages pile up while he was at the gym.
“It made my heart swell up,” Nkuta said.. “To see all those comments. those reposts. a whole bunch of people reaching out to me just telling me ‘this is what you’ve been working for. you’re finally getting your shot!’ It’s crazy.. I was just at the gym and I had a whole lot of people telling me ‘finally!. Aren’t you excited?’”
He said the excitement from others mattered because “a lot of people have been invested in my career,” and it left him with a clear message now that the opportunity is here: “Now it’s time to work.”
The timeline ties together into a single chain: Mokaev missed the United States trip because he couldn’t secure a visa in time. Nkuta was asked to replace him on the Ronda Rousey vs.. Gina Carano card days after the offer. and he said he agreed quickly because he was already training and sparring—positioning the short notice as workable rather than disruptive.
Phumi Nkuta Muhammad Mokaev Adriano Moraes Ronda Rousey Gina Carano MVP short notice fight visa issue flyweight