Even before more firm accusations of fraud came to light, it was clear at a glance that Askar Mozharov’s MMA record was somewhat a construction of smoke and mirrors. Signed to the UFC with a record of 25-7, ‘No Mercy’ had a record stuffed with 0-0 opponents, fighters on long losing streaks, and bouts where both the provenance of the organization and the opponent were difficult to trace.
His chance in the world’s largest MMA promotion came off the back of three straight victories, over men whose records looked okay on paper. Together they were 43-22, not too shabby at a glance.