Muhammad Mokaev: 'UFC training sets me up for Ramadan fasts'

Muhammad "The Punisher" Mokaev is one of the biggest names in UFC right now.

Fresh from a win against Alex Perez at the start of March, the 23-year-old is one step closer to a UFC flyweight title opportunity.

But he's been talking to BBC Asian Network about the importance of his faith during Ramadan, a month of spiritual reflection for Muslims.

"Sometimes you get lost, sometimes you can forget what your reason is for living," he says.

"Ramadan helps me to stay focused on my religion and helps remind myself what I'm living for."

Mokaev says his training for UFC prepares him for fasting during Ramadan.

"As athletes, we do crash diets, sometimes we cut carbs completely or we dehydrate ourselves before a fight, so we're already used to this.

"This is all mental work. Here, you have 30 days you have to fast and you cannot skip some days, you have to be consistent."

Mokaev's faith played an important role in helping him adapt to life in the UK, where he arrived from Russia aged 12, shortly after his mum died.

He first lived in a refugee shelter in Liverpool, before moving to Wigan.

"I've been given so much in life that I didn't see coming," he says.

"At 15 or 16 years old I became more understanding of my religion, I think the struggles that happen to me at a young age are the best thing that ever happened to me.

"It's made me who I am today and anything in my life right now, I'd be ready for it."

In the UK, his PE teacher took him under his wing, something Mokaev is still thankful for today.

"The difficult part was I didn't know the language, I didn't know the jokes," he says.

"I would Google Translate what people said to me and I'd try to make trouble.

"Then the PE teacher who looked after me in school, he gave me the last chance every time I was naughty.

"If he kicked me out, I would go to a different school, so maybe I would have become more of a bad guy. I still go and see my PE teacher. He comes to my fights and we stay in touch all time."

Unbeaten professionally and with six UFC wins, Mokaev says he has his eyes on a belt this year.

"I'm ready for a title fight," he says.

"I will do everything. I'm just gonna fight anyone who the UFC put in front of me."

Listen to Ankur Desai's show on BBC Asian Network live from 15:00-18:00 Monday to Thursday - or listen back here.