Muhammad Mokaev's stint in the UFC was brief, but successful; 7-0 in two years with two performance of the night awards to boot.
His seven fight winning run is still the third most in UFC flyweight history.
However, his career with the promotion was cut short last year when his contract wasn't renewed. The move would be heartbreaking for any fighter, particularly one as promising as Mokaev, who had aspirations of winning a title.
But, the hurt of being axed from the UFC is put into perspective when you consider the journey Mokaev had to go through just to get a start in MMA. After his mother passed away, Mokaev -- then 12-years-old -- and his father, Murad, made their way to England from Dagestan. They were granted refugee status, and after a short stint in Liverpool, they were relocated to the nearby town of Wigan in the north east of England.
As you would imagine, the transition wasn't an easy one. He had to help his father with their paperwork and travel documents as they both grappled with the reality of their new life.
With limited English, Mokaev was bullied at school and struggled to fit in. Murad saw his son was having a hard time and made him a promise: Muhammad would get a small amount of the money they received as refugees to go to the gym in Wigan in a bid to keep him out of trouble.
Dagestan has a rich history in combat sports. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev both hail from the region, as does light heavyweight boxer Artur Beterbiev.
However, it was in the north of England where Mokaev really took an interest in MMA.
It is a story that has been intertwined with combat sports for longer than anyone would care to remember; a kid struggling to fit in stumbles into a gym and finds a second home hitting the heavy bag or face down on the wrestling mat.
It wasn't long before Mokaev was winning wrestling tournaments up and down the UK.
"I believe at any age you move to any country it's difficult to start ... new location, new people, new language, everything," Mokaev tolls ESPN. "So, it was very difficult for me and I think those challenges, [mental] challenges I would say made me who I am: Durable in the dark situations in the fights."
Soon enough, he came across the father-son due who have stormed to the top of the MMA world.
Mokaev met Tom Aspinall, who was then still working part time as a bouncer, and started training with him, while dad Andy drove them to tournaments.
"It's a great family, Andy and Tom. I knew them basically from start of my career," Mokaev reflects. "They're really good people. I remember when Tom, he was working at the pub as a security bouncer. I lived on the other side of town, he [was] going to the city centre, and he used to drop me off in city center then the rest I walked ... So he always dropped me off halfway.
"I know him as a good guy and I can call Andy anytime and ask him for advice. He still supports me."
Fast forward to 2022 and Mokaev made his UFC debut on an Aspinall card: UFC Fight Night 204 when Aspinall beat Alexander Volkov in London. Mokaev was the first fight of the night. Like his friend, he won with a Round 1 submission.
From then, Mokaev didn't look back, but the 7-0 start was ultimately the end for him in the UFC. There is still an air of mystery around why his contract wasn't extended. Mokaev accepts his style wasn't the most exciting, and there was also an altercation with another fighter at a hotel, something he takes responsibility for now.
"I agree with that being unprofessional, maybe I didn't control my emotions but apart from that I did nothing wrong with the organization," Mokaev says.
"I had seven fights in UFC and if you're a bad guy they cut you from debut, they don't cut you from when you come close to belt, they cut straight away."
However, the 25-year-old is not bitter towards the promotion and is happy with fighting under the Brave CF banner -- his next fight coming on Saturday in Bahrain. But, as with any fighter, the UFC remains the ultimate goal in MMA.
"Why not? Because if you want to be best in the world, you should compete against the best," Mokaev says. "I just like to compete everywhere and I feel free with Brave letting me compete anywhere I want. That's how good my relationship, good with organization, they treat me really well."