UFC Abu Dhabi winner Muslim Salikhov received a reaction from Stephen Thompson after his callout after the knockout.
UFC Welterweight Muslim Salikhov proved that 41 can be the new 31 with a mean knockout from Carlos Leal last Saturday in UFC Abu Dhabi. The 'King of Kung Fu' struck Leal unconscious with one blow in a shocking version in the octhoek.
Salikhov has now won three consecutive fights and has turned a new magazine on this point in his career. While Salikhov continues to fight well in his forty, it seems that he does not slow down quickly.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Stephen Thompson answers Muslim Salikhov's UFC Abu Dhabi Callout
The knockout of Salikhov became viral during the weekend, because former UFC light weight champion Islam Makhachev and others had amazing reactions to the finish.
After winning one of the biggest victories in the peak of his career, Salikhov did not hesitate to shoot his shot when he called for his next fight.
During his UFC Abu Dhabi Post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, Salikhov closed his time on the microphone with a message for former title challenge Stephen Thompson.
“Hey Wonderboy! I want a fight with you, let's go!” Salikhov said.
In a recent message to X, Thompson responded to Salikhov.
“Salikhov shows for the” old guys “let's go Gooo! Respect,” Thompson replied.
Thompson does not hang the gloves, despite the suffering of an annoying shin injury in his most recent fight against Gabriel Bonfim in UFC Nashville earlier this month. In a controversial result, Bonfim Thompson lost a split decision and dropped his fifth fight during his last six performances.
UFC CEO Dana White admitted that he wants to see Thompson 'hanging around' in the promotion despite his constant losing skid. Thompson, 42, has not won since he completed Kevin Holland at UFC Orlando in 2022.
A matchup between Thompson and Salikhov would place two of the most dangerous strikers in the Welterweight Division against each other. Both Salikhov and Thompson do not seem to hang the gloves yet, making a potential fight all the more tempting.
Shara Magomedov had to get a nose surgery after a brutal UFC Abu Dhabi fight
In other UFC ABU DHABI-related news, Star Middleweight Shara 'Bullet' Magomedov underwent a successful operation on his nose after a wild fight with Marc-Andre Barriault on the main map. Magomedov won the fight through a unanimous decision to bounce back from his loss of the first career that suffered in February.
From this letter, former UFC champion Robert Whittaker has not issued any public comments since his loss of the Ridder in Reinier in the Main Event of UFC Abu Dhabi. For the first time in years, Whittaker falls outside the title mix of the middleweight.
Salikhov shows for the “old boys”, let's go Gooo! Respect 🤜🫷 #ufcabudhabi
– Stephen Thompson (@wonderboymma) July 26, 2025