UFC’s ‘King of Kung Fu’ Muslim Salikhov goes to hospital after nasty eye poke in win over Francisco Trinaldo
- Salikhov, a specialist in Chinese martial art of Sanda, perseveres to score unanimous decision and fifth straight victory at UFC Vegas 28
- Dagestani owns second-longest win streak in welterweight division, behind only the champion Kamaru Usman, with top 15-opponent surely next
“The King of Kung Fu” Muslim Salikhov served notice to the top 15 of the welterweight division after an impressive unanimous decision victory against Francisco Trinaldo at UFC Vegas 28.
The 36-year-old Dagestan native – a veteran of China’s domestic fight circuits, and the first Westerner to be named the “King of Sanda” with multiple world titles in the Chinese style of kick-boxing – picked up 30-27 scorecards across the board at the Apex facility on Saturday night.
Salikhov (18-2) dropped the 42-year-old Brazilian with an uppercut near the end of the first round, and persevered after a nasty eye poke at the start of the third round which could have ended the fight, or at least seen Trinaldo docked a point.
He ultimately did not manage to become the first fighter to knock out Trinaldo, but still went on to rack up his fifth straight victory following a debut loss in the promotion in November 2017.
Salikhov now owns the second-longest win streak in the UFC’s 170-pound division, behind only champion Kamaru Usman who has won 14 straight.