Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images
Rising welterweight contender Muslim Salikhov gave fight fans their first finish earlier today (Sat., Sept. 7, 2019) at UFC 242 from inside The Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, when he flattened Canadian veteran Nordine Taleb via first-round knockout (punch).
Both men started to throw offense from the opening but it was Salikhov who offered more power in his shots. That really played through during an exchange along the cage towards the end of the first round, as Salikhov landed a huge looping right hand that instantly cut Taleb off and sent him to the canvas. No insurance shots were needed as Taleb’s head bounced off the mat and referee Herb Dean stepped in.
Check out the finish above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
With this performance, Salikhov secures his second UFC victory after finishing veteran Ricky Rainey via knockout back in April of 2018. The 35-year-old certainly needs to stay healthy in order to make any sort of meaningful push up the 170-pound ladder, but “King of Kung Fu” continues to show why he is one of the most dangerous strikers in UFC today.
For complete UFC 242 results and coverage click here.