# Muslim Salikhov

Muslim Magomedovich Salikhov (Russian: Муслим Магомедович Салихов, Kumyk: Муслим Салигь Мугьамматны уланы; born June 9, 1984) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist and Sanda fighter. He currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A multiple-time Wushu Sanda world champion, Salikhov occupies a place alongside Hossein Ojaghi as one of only two non-Chinese athletes to have won the Wushu Sanda King's Cup.

## Early life

Muslim Salikhov was born in Buynaksk, Dagestan; his ethnicity is Kumyk. In 1995, he began to practice Wushu Sanda while attending the Five Directions of the World' , a school famous for combining general and martial arts education.

## Wushu
### Wushu Sanda

Salikhov faced Liu Hailong who held the title "King of Sanda" at the 2003 World Wushu Championships in Macau. Both were evenly matched, with Liu Hailong declared the winner. Salikhov was the Sanshou champion at the 2004 European Wushu Championships held in Moscow and he became the World Champion in 2005. Muslim Salikhov is often acknowledged as one of the best Wushu Sanda competitors in history.
In February 2006, he participated in the first international "King of Sanda" tournament in Chongqing and became the first non-Chinese to win the title. He again won the world title in 2007 and 2009. At the World Wushu Championships, he became one of the most decorated sanda athletes of all time and was the first sanda athlete to win five gold medals. He was also a gold medalist at the 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament, and won medals at the 2009 World Games and the World Combat Games.

## Mixed martial arts
### Early career

Salikhov made his professional MMA debut in July 2011. Over the next year and a half, he earned a record of two wins and one loss.

### M-1 Global

By early 2013, Salikhov signed with M-1 Global, preparing with Phuket Top Team for his mixed martial arts debut. He fought three times for the promotion, going undefeated during this run.

### Other promotions

Beginning in 2015, Salikhov fought for various regional promotions in China and Russia. He has fought seven times over the last two years, again remaining undefeated in this run with six of the sevens wins coming via knockout.
Salikhov notched his biggest win to date when he earned a victory over UFC and Bellator vet Melvin Guillard by spinning hook kick.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

On October 19, 2017, Salikhov signed with the UFC.
In his debut for the promotion, Salikhov faced Alex Garcia on November 25, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 122. He lost the fight via submission in the second round.
Salikhov faced Abdul Razak Alhassan on April 14, 2018, on UFC on FOX 29. However, Alhassan was pulled from the card, citing injury, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Ricky Rainey. He won the fight via technical knock out in round two.
On July 20, 2018, Salikhov was notified of a potential doping violation by USADA from an out-of-competition sample collected on June 7, 2018. On March 4, 2019, Salikhov was cleared of USADA suspension as USADA could not determine if Salikhov had ingested oral Turinabol a year before he was signed to the UFC and entered the USADA drug-testing program.
Salikhov faced Nordine Taleb on September 7, 2019, at UFC 242. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Salikhov faced Laureano Staropoli on October 26, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 20. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Salikhov was expected to face Niko Price on April 11, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was eventually postponed and pairing scrapped.
Salikhov faced Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos on July 11, 2020, at UFC 251. He won the fight via a split decision.
Salikhov was scheduled to face Cláudio Silva on October 18, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 180. However, on October 4, it was announced that Salikhov pulled out due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by James Krause.
Salikhov was scheduled to face Santiago Ponzinibbio on January 16, 2021, at UFC on ABC 1. However, Salikhov pulled out of the bout in mid-December citing health issues after contracting COVID-19.
Salikhov faced Francisco Trinaldo on June 5, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 189. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Salikhov was scheduled to face Michel Pereira on January 15, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 32. However, Salikhov withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons and the bout was cancelled.
Salikhov faced Li Jingliang on July 16, 2022, at UFC on ABC 3. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the second round.
Salikhov faced André Fialho on November 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 215. He won the fight via technical knockout in round three. With this win, Salikhov earned the Performance of the Night award.
Salikhov faced Nicolas Dalby on June 17, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 47. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.
Salikhov was scheduled to face Randy Brown on December 16, 2023, at UFC 296. However, the bout was scrapped after Brown withdrew due to illness. The pair was rescheduled to meet at UFC Fight Night 235 on February 3, 2024. Salikhov lost in the first round by knockout.
Salikhov faced Santiago Ponzinibbio on July 13, 2024 at UFC on ESPN 59. He won the fight by split decision. 9 out of 13 media outlets scored the bout for Ponzinibbio.
Salikhov faced Song Kenan on November 23, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 248. He won the fight via a spinning wheel kick knockout in the first round. This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.

## Championships and accomplishments
### Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Nordine Taleb, André Fialho and Song Kenan

### Muay Thai

* WBC Muay Thai
** WBC Muaythai international challenge Cruiserweight Winner

### Wushu - Sanda

* Kung Fu King Tournament
** 2006 KFK Tournament (80kg).
** 2009 KFK Tournament Runner Uo (80kg).
* World Wushu Championship
** 2015 - 13th World Wushu Championships Winner
** 2011 - 11th World Wushu Championships Runner Up
** 2011 - 11th World Wushu Championships Winner
** 2009 - 10th World Wushu Championships Winner
** 2007 - 9th World Wushu Championships Winner
** 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament Winner
** 2005 - 8th World Wushu Championships Winner
* Sanda World Cup
** 3rd Sanda World Cup Winner

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 26 matches | 21 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 14 | 2 |
| By submission | 2 | 2 |
| By decision | 5 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Win | 21–5 | Song Kenan | KO (spinning wheel kick) | UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Figueiredo | November 23, 2024 | 1 | 3:49 | Macau, SAR, China | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 20–5 | Santiago Ponzinibbio | Decision (split) | UFC on ESPN: Namajunas vs. Cortez | July 13, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Loss | 19–5 | Randy Brown | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov | February 3, 2024 | 1 | 3:17 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 19–4 | Nicolas Dalby | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Vettori vs. Cannonier | June 17, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 19–3 | André Fialho | TKO (spinning wheel kick and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cuțelaba | November 19, 2022 | 3 | 1:03 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 18–3 | Li Jingliang | TKO (punches and elbows) | UFC on ABC: Ortega vs. Rodríguez | July 16, 2022 | 2 | 4:38 | Elmont, New York, United States | |
| Win | 18–2 | Francisco Trinaldo | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai | June 5, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 17–2 | Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos | Decision (split) | UFC 251 | July 12, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 16–2 | Laureano Staropoli | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Askren | October 26, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore | |
| Win | 15–2 | Nordine Taleb | KO (punch) | UFC 242 | September 7, 2019 | 1 | 4:26 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 14–2 | Ricky Rainey | KO (punches) | UFC on Fox: Poirier vs. Gaethje | April 14, 2018 | 2 | 3:56 | Glendale, Arizona, United States | |
| Loss | 13–2 | Alex Garcia | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Gastelum | November 25, 2017 | 2 | 3:22 | Shanghai, China | |
| Win | 13–1 | Melvin Guillard | KO (spinning hook kick) | Kunlun Fight MMA 12 | June 1, 2017 | 1 | 1:33 | Yantai, China | Catchweight (181 lb) bout; Guillard missed weight. |
| Win | 12–1 | Akoundou Epelet Evy Johannes | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | YunFeng Showdown 2017 | May 25, 2017 | 1 | 3:23 | Shandong, China | |
| Win | 11–1 | Ivan Jorge | KO (spinning back kick) | Kunlun Fight: Cage Fight Series 6 | October 21, 2016 | 1 | 1:04 | Yiwu, China | |
| Win | 10–1 | Gang Zhang | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Superstar Fight 3 | May 21, 2016 | 1 | N/A | Harbin, China | |
| Win | 9–1 | Artem Shokalo | KO (spinning back kick) | Cage Fighting: Dagestan | April 2, 2016 | 1 | 2:31 | Makhachkala, Russia | |
| Win | 8–1 | Kurbanjiang Tuluosibake | TKO (spinning back kick and punches) | Bullets Fly FC 3 | January 16, 2016 | 1 | 0:18 | Hebei, China | Catchweight (174 lb) bout. |
| Win | 7–1 | Tsuyoshi Yamashita | TKO (punches) | W.I.N. FC | July 18, 2015 | 1 | N/A | Guangdong, China | |
| Win | 6–1 | Gele Qing | KO (punches) | CKF World Federation: Zhong Wu Ultimate Fighting | April 18, 2015 | 1 | 3:50 | Beijing, China | |
| Win | 5–1 | Victor Sckoteski | TKO (punches) | M-1 Challenge 53 | November 25, 2014 | 1 | 4:27 | Beijing, China | |
| Win | 4–1 | Filip Kotarlic | KO (punch) | M-1 Challenge 44 | November 30, 2013 | 1 | 3:05 | Tula, Russia | Welterweight debut. |
| Win | 3–1 | Deyan Topalski | Decision (unanimous) | M-1 Challenge 38 | April 9, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Kris Hocum | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Beirut Elite FC: First Blood | December 15, 2012 | 1 | 1:40 | Beirut, Lebanon | |
| Win | 2–0 | Dankao Sakda | KO (punch) | Top of the Forbidden City 4 | August 19, 2011 | 1 | 6:56 | Beijing, China | |
| Win | 1–0 | Tao Wang-hong | TKO (arm injury) | Top of the Forbidden City 2 | July 22, 2011 | 1 | 0:51 | Beijing, China | Middleweight debut. |

## Sanda and kickboxing professional record (incomplete)

Kickboxing record (incomplete) :
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time |
| 2017-07-16 | Win | Fang Qingquan | Fight King international Championship Final | Lantian, China | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 |
| 2016-12-10 | Win | Nuerla Mulali | Kunlun Fight 55 80 kg 2016 Tournament Reserve Fight | Qingdao, China | KO (Spinning Backfist) | 2 | 2:00 |
| 2016-01-31 | Win | Fu Gaofeng | Changbai Mountain Hero 2016 | Jilin, China | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 |
| 2014-01-11 | Loss | Nuerla Mulali | Hongdu Real estate & Qiancheng group Championship | Dalian, China | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 |
| 2012-12-31 | Loss | Xu Yi | Wu Lin Feng Global Kung Fu Festival | Beijing, China | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 |
| 2012-01-01 | Win | Li Baoming | Ultimate Fighter 2012 | Changsha, China | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 |
| 2011-10-22 | Loss | Fu Gaofeng | Shandong Heroes 2011 | Yantai, China | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 |
| 2011-06-18 | Win | Li Baoming | WBC Muaythai China Championships | Hunan, China | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 |
| Wins WBC Muaythai international challenge in China at Cruiserweight ||||||||
| 2011-04-23 | Win | Guo Qiang | WBC Muaythai China Championships | Nanning, China | KO | 2 | |
| 2011-01-18 | Loss | Fu Jiachun | 2011 China vs Russia Sanshou Tournament -80 kg | Harbin, China | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 |
| 2009-07-17 | Loss | Steve McKinnon | 1st World Kung Fu King Championship (世界功夫王争霸赛) 75–90 kg, Quarter Finals | Guangzhou, China | Decision (Unanimous) | 5 | 5:00 |
| 2009-06-26 | Win | Stéphane Attelly | 1er Gala International Multi-boxes | Paris, France | | | |
| 2009-03-14 | Loss | Yu Jin | 4th Kung Fu King Tournament (国际武术搏击争霸赛), Finals | Chongqing, China | KO | 2 | |
| Fight was for 2009 KFK Tournament (80kg) title. ||||||||
| 2009-03-14 | Win | Xu Jiaheng | 4th Kung Fu King Tournament (国际武术搏击争霸赛), Semi Finals | Chongqing, China | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 |
| 2009-03-12 | Win | Yang Yuanfei | 4th Kung Fu King Tournament (国际武术搏击争霸赛), Quarter Finals | Chongqing, China | KO | 2 | |
| 2009-03-10 | Win | Eduardo Bernadette Filho | 4th Kung Fu King Tournament (国际武术搏击争霸赛), 1/8 Finals | Chongqing, China | KO | 2 | |
| 2007-08-01 | Win | Fang Bian | 2007 China vs Russia Sanshou Tournament -80 kg | Harbin, China | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 |
| 2007-03-23 | Loss | Bai Jinbin | 2nd Kung Fu King Tournament (国际武术搏击争霸赛), Semi Finals | Chongqing, China | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 |
| 2006-02-26 | Win | Gele Qing | 1st Kung Fu King Tournament (国际武术搏击争霸赛), Finals | Chongqing, China | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 |
| Wins the 2006 KFK Tournament (80kg). ||||||||
| 2006-02-26 | Win | Zhang Tingbin | 1st Kung Fu King Tournament (国际武术搏击争霸赛), Semi Finals | Chongqing, China | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 |
| 2006-02-25 | Win | Aotegen Bateer | 1st Kung Fu King Tournament (国际武术搏击争霸赛), Quarter Finals | Chongqing, China | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 |
| 2006-02-24 | Win | Xue Fengqiang | 1st Kung Fu King Tournament (国际武术搏击争霸赛), 1/8 Finals | Chongqing, China | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 |

## Sanda amateur record (incomplete)

Kickboxing record (incomplete) :
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time |
| 2015-11-17 | Win | Fu Gaofeng | 13th World Wushu Championships, Final | Jakarta, Indonesia | Decision | 3 | 2:00 |
| 2015-11-17 | Win | Bagdat Kenzhetayev | 13th World Wushu Championships, Semi Finals | Jakarta, Indonesia | Decision | 3 | 2:00 |
| 2015-11-17 | Win | Moumou Abdelhakim | 13th World Wushu Championships, Quarter Finals | Jakarta, Indonesia | Decision | 3 | 2:00 |
| 2013-11-05 | Loss | Amir Fazli | 12th World Wushu Championships, Final | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Decision (2–1) | 3 | 2:00 |
| 2013-11-04 | Win | Alejandro Cisne | 12th World Wushu Championships, Semi Finals | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Decision (2–0) | 2 | 2:00 |
| 2013-11-03 | Win | Mergen Bilyalov | 12th World Wushu Championships, Quarter Finals | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Decision (2–0) | 2 | 2:00 |
| 2013-11-02 | Win | Rolich Vadzim | 12th World Wushu Championships, 1/8 Finals | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Decision (2–0) | 2 | 2:00 |
| 2013-10-26 | Win | Nacereddine Zemmal | 2nd World Combat Games, Final | Saint Petersburg, Russia | | | |
| 2013-10-25 | Win | Ashraf Mohamed Abdelgawad Abdelhamid | 2nd World Combat Games, Semi Finals | Saint Petersburg, Russia | | | |
| 2011-10-15 | Win | Abdelhamid El-Sayad | 11th World Wushu Championships, Final | Ankara, Turkey | Decision (2–0) | 2 | 2:00 |
| 2011-10-14 | Win | Nacereddine Zemmal | 11th World Wushu Championships, Semi Finals | Ankara, Turkey | Decision (2–0) | 2 | 2:00 |
| 2011-10-12 | Win | Velaz Miguel | 11th World Wushu Championships, Quarter Finals | Ankara, Turkey | Decision (2–0) | 2 | 2:00 |
| 2011-10-11 | Win | Salvador Gajardo Lopez | 11th World Wushu Championships, 1/8 Finals | Ankara, Turkey | Absolute Victory | | |
| 2011-10-11 | Win | Amir Fazli | 11th World Wushu Championships, 1/16 Finals | Ankara, Turkey | Decision (2–0) | 2 | 2:00 |
| 2010-08-28 | Loss | Xu Jiaheng | 1st World Combat Games, Semi Finals | Beijing, China | Decision (2–1) | 3 | 2:00 |
| 2009-10-30 | Win | Hamid Reza Gholipour | 10th World Wushu Championships, Final | Toronto, Canada | Decision (2–0) | 2 | 2:00 |
| 2009-10-28 | Win | Xu Jiaheng | 10th World Wushu Championships, Semi Finals | Toronto, Canada | Decision (2–0) | 2 | 2:00 |
| 2009-10-27 | Win | Igor Kolacin | 10th World Wushu Championships, Quarter Finals | Toronto, Canada | Decision (2–0) | 2 | 2:00 |
| 2009-10-26 | Win | Masood Rahimi | 10th World Wushu Championships, 1/8 Finals | Toronto, Canada | Absolute Victory | | |
| 2009-07-26 | Loss | Hamid Reza Gholipour | 8th World Games, Finals | Kaohsiung, Taiwan | | | |
| 2008-08-24 | Win | Hossein Ojaghi | 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament, Final | Beijing, China | Default | | |
| 2008-08-23 | Win | Nick Evagorou | 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament, Semi Finals | Beijing, China | KO | | |
| 2008-08-22 | Win | Elshad Ibrahimov | 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament, Quarter Finals | Beijing, China | Default | | |
| 2007-11-17 | Win | Hossein Ojaghi | 9th World Wushu Championships, Final | Beijing, China | Decision (2–0) | 2 | 2:00 |
| 2007-11-16 | Win | Nick Evagorou | 9th World Wushu Championships, Semi Finals | Beijing, China | Absolute Victory | | |
| 2007-11-15 | Win | Eugen Preda | 9th World Wushu Championships, Quarter Finals | Beijing, China | Decision (2–1) | 3 | 2:00 |
| 2007-11-14 | Win | Elyorbek Akbarov | 9th World Wushu Championships, 1/8 Finals | Beijing, China | Absolute Victory | | |
| 2007-11-12 | Win | Mohamed Yousef Ramdan | 9th World Wushu Championships, 1/16 Finals | Beijing, China | Decision (2–0) | 2 | 2:00 |
| 2006-09-23 | Win | Eslam Ghorbani | 3rd Sanda World Cup, Final | Xi'an, China | Decision | 3 | 2:00 |
| 2006-09-23 | Win | Daniele Chiofalo | 3rd Sanda World Cup, Semi Finals | Xi'an, China | Decision | 3 | 2:00 |
| 2005-12-14 | Win | Eslam Ghorbani | 8th World Wushu Championships, Final | Hanoi, Vietnam | | | |
| 2005-12-13 | Win | Stéphane Attelly | 8th World Wushu Championships, Semi Finals | Hanoi, Vietnam | | | |
| 2005-12-13 | Win | N&A | 8th World Wushu Championships, Quarter Finals | Hanoi, Vietnam | | | |
| 2004-11-14 | Loss | Zheng Yuhao | 2nd Sanda World Cup, 1/8 Finals | Guangzhou, China | Decision | 3 | |
| 2003-11-05 | Loss | Liu Hailong | 7th World Wushu Championships, 1/8 Finals | Macau, China | Decision | 3 | 2:00 |