Jafel Filho made quite an impression in his flyweight bout against unbeaten prospect Muhammad Mokaev at UFC 286 in London.
Filho promised to be a “thorn in the side” of Mokaev and, despite losing via RNC in the final round, he feels he delivered on that promise. However, Filho has expressed his disappointment with referee Herb Dean for missing several calls during the match.
Filho had several submission attempts against Mokaev during the three-round bout, and he claims that Mokaev tapped at least three times.
In an interview with MMA Fighting, Filho said, “I felt him tapping on my back like he was hiding, with malice.”
He also mentioned that during a guillotine attempt, he attacked Mokaev’s injured shoulder, causing Mokaev to tap. Filho believes that Dean missed these taps and did not stop the action.
Filho’s manager Andre Pederneiras is reviewing the video footage to decide whether to file an appeal to overturn the result.
Filho felt that the bout was tied 19-19 going into the third round, and two judges saw it the same way. However, the third judge scored it 20-18 in favor of Mokaev.
Despite the loss, Filho respects Mokaev and holds no ill will towards him. He expressed interest in a rematch, saying, “I think a rematch would be ideal, especially with all the buzz coming out from this fight.”