UFC 286: Muhammad Mokaev, Jack Shore and Jake Hadley among British victors in London

Muhammad Mokaev grappling with Jafel FilhoGetty Images

Mokaev has earned three submission wins in his first four UFC fights

By Paul Battison
BBC Sport at the O2 Arena

Britain's Muhammad Mokaev showed remarkable resilience as he submitted Jafel Filho in the third round of their flyweight bout at UFC 286 in London.

Mokaev, 22, recovered from a kneebar submission attempt to regain control of Brazil's Filho, despite his injured leg, and secure a rear-naked choke for his fourth UFC win inside 12 months.

The victory extended the unbeaten start to his career to 11 fights.

"I don't know apart from Jon Jones who else has done this?" said Mokaev.

"I'm 22 with my fourth fight in 12 months. I had a shoulder injury but wanted to put on a show for you guys."

Mokaev's impressive debut year in the UFC has seen him rise to 12th in the flyweight rankings with victory likely to boost him even further.

Fellow British flyweight Jake Hadley, who exchanged insults with Mokaev in the build-up to the event, also earned an impressive finish as he stopped Malcolm Gordon with a body shot in the first round.

Hadley, 26, struck Gordon with a hook to the liver, dropping the Canadian which led to the stoppage.

It was Hadley's second successive UFC win as he builds momentum towards a possible all-British bout with Mokaev.

The event, which sees Britain's Leon Edwards defend his welterweight title against Kamaru Usman at the top of the card, is the promotion's first numbered show in the UK since UFC 204 in 2016.

Shore wins on featherweight debut

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Shore extended his professional record to 17 wins from 18 bouts

Jack Shore made a winning start to life at featherweight as he earned a second-round submission over Finland's Makwan Amirkhani.

Wales' Shore, 28, was second best in the first round but opened up with his striking in the second, before taking the fight to the ground and winning with a rear-naked choke.

The fight was Shore's first at featherweight after admitting difficulties in cutting to bantamweight, where he suffered defeat by Ricky Simon in his last fight in July.

The win was Shore's sixth in seven UFC fights since joining the promotion in 2019.

There were also victories for Britons Lerone Murphy, Joanne Wood, Christian Leroy Duncan and Chris Duncan.

Elsewhere, Australia's Scotland-born flyweight Casey O'Neill suffered the first defeat of a 10-fight career as she lost to Brazil's Jennifer Maia by unanimous decision.

O'Neill, 25, was fighting for the first time in more than a year after recovering from a serious knee injury, but was out-struck by Maia over three rounds.

Britain's Sam Patterson also suffered defeat on his UFC debut as a huge overhand right from Yanal Ashmoz sent him to the canvas, while Jai Herbert fought to a majority draw with Ludovit Klein.

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