Steve Erceg feels bad for Muhammad Mokaev's UFC departure, but 'he did it to himself'

PERTH, Australia – Steve Erceg thinks Muhammad Mokaev only has himself to blame for no longer being a UFC fighter.

The UFC opted not to re-sign Mokaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) after the 23-year-old completed his contract at UFC 304 in July. Mokaev remained unbeaten when he defeated top contender Manel Kape, but the promotion wasn’t interested in keeping him around.

UFC CEO Dana White explained that matchmakers weren’t happy with Mokaev, with rumors swirling that it was something to do his behavior – not his fighting style. Erceg (12-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) says Mokaev’s fate is self-inflicted.

“I don’t want to kick a man when he’s down as much as possible,” Erceg said at Wednesday’s UFC 305 media day. “But yeah, he made some decisions, he didn’t make a fan of people I guess. Not the fans, obviously the people in the company. So, I feel bad for what happened to him, but I guess he did it to himself.”

Erceg will look to rebound from his title loss to flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja when he meets Kai Kara-France (24-11 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 305 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) co-main event at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

“He’s a very good fighter,” Erceg said of Kara-France. “He’s super explosive, very good takedown defense, and he hits really hard. So, I definitely have to mind my p’s and q’s, but I just think I’m better at the end of the day. We’re going to find out on Sunday morning.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.