No stranger to highlight-reel finishes, Muslim Salikhov added another to his resume Saturday.
Then he made a callout that makes so much sense, particularly in an age of jumping lines for fights based on tweets or other non-sporting reasons, that if it doesn’t come to fruition fans ought be truly disappointed.
After his bonus-winning wheel-kick knockout of Song Kenan (22-8 MMA, 6-4 UFC), Salikhov (20-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) called out Stephen Thompson for a fight – preferably soon, too.
“I’m just starting to understand what’s going on here (in the UFC),” Salikhov told the UFC after his win on the main card at UFC Fight Night 248 in Macau. “I want to show people who’s the real king of kung fu. I’m ready to fight before Ramadan if it’s a top guy. ‘Wonderboy’ (Thompson would be his) karate vs. kung fu. We’re both old fighters, but still good – good strikers. I want to try this. I hope he’s going to be interested in this, too. Let’s do it.”
Thompson (17-8-1 MMA, 12-8-1 UFC) will turn 42 in February, and soon after that will hit about eight years since his second welterweight title loss to Tyron Woodley in March 2017. That majority decision setback was a rematch after a majority draw four months prior.
But since then, Thompson has gone just 4-6 and has dropped four of his past five.
Salikhov also had a bonus-winning spinning wheel kick finish of Andre Fialho in 2022, so this latest one put him back on the map as a highlight-reel contender. Given he’s 40, he’d prefer to get things rolling sooner rather than later, particularly given his observance of Ramadan near the second quarter of 2025 will impede his training and ability to take a fight.
But he knows he’ll be working that same kick that got Kenan and Fialho no matter what and the opportunity to use it against famed karate striker Thompson could be a unique fight for the UFC – one without any real title implications, but one that would be your favorite fighter’s favorite fight.
“Believe me – if I have more fights, I’m going to have more knockouts with this kick,” Salikhov said. “I know everyone expects this kick and everyone’s waiting for it. But it’s so fast, and I can finish anyone with it. … All my life, 30 years, I still do 100 kicks (training that one).”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.
