diff --git a/app/services/merge_requests/mergeability_check_service.rb b/app/services/merge_requests/mergeability_check_service.rb
index 3e294aeaa077054f52fa7b1aed1f7d813db08e9a..30531fcc17bb6b30de75e85c2bf81c7f4784a0ab 100644
--- a/app/services/merge_requests/mergeability_check_service.rb
+++ b/app/services/merge_requests/mergeability_check_service.rb
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ def initialize(merge_request)
 
     def async_execute
       return service_error if service_error
-      return unless merge_request.mark_as_checking
 
+      merge_request.mark_as_checking
       MergeRequestMergeabilityCheckWorker.perform_async(merge_request.id)
     end
 
diff --git a/spec/services/merge_requests/mergeability_check_service_spec.rb b/spec/services/merge_requests/mergeability_check_service_spec.rb
index 65599b7e046592c5e767d7869fa3deebc859a28b..c24b83e21a60ba43a87c73216fbbad810409e843 100644
--- a/spec/services/merge_requests/mergeability_check_service_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/merge_requests/mergeability_check_service_spec.rb
@@ -73,12 +73,10 @@
   let(:merge_request) { create(:merge_request, merge_status: :unchecked, source_project: project, target_project: project) }
 
   describe '#async_execute' do
-    shared_examples_for 'no job is enqueued' do
-      it 'does not enqueue MergeRequestMergeabilityCheckWorker' do
-        expect(MergeRequestMergeabilityCheckWorker).not_to receive(:perform_async)
+    it 'updates merge status to checking' do
+      described_class.new(merge_request).async_execute
 
-        described_class.new(merge_request).async_execute
-      end
+      expect(merge_request).to be_checking
     end
 
     it 'enqueues MergeRequestMergeabilityCheckWorker' do
@@ -92,15 +90,11 @@
         allow(Gitlab::Database).to receive(:read_only?) { true }
       end
 
-      it_behaves_like 'no job is enqueued'
-    end
+      it 'does not enqueue MergeRequestMergeabilityCheckWorker' do
+        expect(MergeRequestMergeabilityCheckWorker).not_to receive(:perform_async)
 
-    context 'when merge_status is already checking' do
-      before do
-        merge_request.mark_as_checking
+        described_class.new(merge_request).async_execute
       end
-
-      it_behaves_like 'no job is enqueued'
     end
   end