UFC and MMA not only attract fighters and athletes for the recognition and fame they will receive, but also the legacy that they will create. This hunger to prove one’s potential has brought several amazing fighters from Dagestan and one of them is Muslim Salikhov, a veteran MMA fighter born and raised in the ruthless cold mountains of Makhachkala, Russia. He is a sanda virtuoso in the UFC welterweight division and like his other brothers from Dagestan, he is a tough puzzle to crack.

Through challenging territories and a humble beginning, the 5-time Sanda world champion has carved out his legacy in UFC. Ahead of his bout with Santiago Ponzinibbio let’s get to know more about the Dagestani star.

Where is Muslim Salikhov from?

Born in June 1984, Salikhov is from Russia and is a mixed martial artist and Sanda fighter. The multiple-time Wushu Sanda world champion occupies the position alongside Hossein Ojaghi as one of the two main non-Chinese athletes to have won the Wushu Sanda King’s Cup. He was born in  Buynaksk, Dagestan and his ethnicity is Kumyk. He started Wushu Sanda at the Five Directions of the World, in 1995.

Since then he has been a champion in this field and marked the first milestone in his combat sports career in 2005. He clinched gold at the eighth World Wushu Championships in Hanoi, Vietnam, which would mark his excellence. He subsequently won the WWC in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2015. Known as ‘Master Mu’ in the Chinese martial arts community, he has etched a unique legacy for himself even before coming into UFC.

He transitioned into MMA in 2011 and signed with M-1 Global in 2013. Salikhov sealed 3 of his 6 victories in UFC via a finish. He has had many memorable fight scenes in the Octagon but the most striking was the spinning hook kick knockout against Melvin Guillard. The fighter with a record of 19-5-0 also has an interesting life outside the cage. Let’s take a brief look at that front.

Family and personal life of Dagestani MMA star

Known as ‘The King of Kung Fu’, the 40-year-old started learning self-defense as a child because he did not want to get beaten up in the streets of Dagestan. He answered some questions about his life at UFC and from what he said, the Russian has two higher education degrees and numerous championship trophies! Fighting was always his job and he is an expert in Muay Thai apart from Sanda. The Dagestani has participated in 200 pro kickboxing tournaments till now and is still going strong.

The fighter’s favorite grappling technique is arm triangle and his beloved striking style is a spinning back kick. Salikhov has a fighting style that is mostly on foot and he does not do that well on the ground. However, he has finished 12 fights via KO. He is set to fight at the UFC Fight Night on July 13th.

What do you think about his upcoming fight? Give us your predictions in the comments below.