

He fought three times for the promotion, going undefeated during this run.īeginning in 2015, Salikhov fought for various regional promotions in China and Russia. Over the next year and a half, he earned a record of two wins and one loss.īy early 2013, Salikhov signed with M-1 Global, preparing with Phuket Top Team for his mixed martial arts debut.

Salikhov made his professional MMA debut in July 2011. 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. 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. 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. Muslim Salikhov is often acknowledged as one of the best Wushu Sanda competitors in history. Salikhov was the Sanshou champion at the 2004 European Wushu Championships held in Moscow and he became the World Champion in 2005. Both were evenly matched, with Liu Hailong declared the winner. Salikhov faced Liu Hailong who held the title "King of Sanda" at the 2003 World Wushu Championships in Macau. Muslim is an alumnus of the famous Dagestani sports-dedicated boarding school Five Directions of the World. As of August 23, 2021, he is #14 in the UFC welterweight rankings. 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.

Muslim Salikhov (born June 9, 1984), is a Russian mixed martial artist and Sanda fighter who currently competes in welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Master of Sports in Complex Martial Arts
