"Who said Dagestani Russians can't strike?" "Him vs Wonderboy next" - Fans react to Muslim Salikhov's first-round KO of Carlos Leal at UFC Abu Dhabi

Fans react to Muslim Salikhov
Fans react to Muslim Salikhov's (left) win over Carlos Leal (right). [Images courtesy: @ufc on Instagram]

Muslim Salikhov's impressive knockout victory against Carlos Leal at UFC Abu Dhabi caused a frenzy among MMA fans around the world.

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Salikhov made his octagon return in a welterweight bout against Leal in the prelims of UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. de Ridder, which is currently taking place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The 41-year-old was coming off a two-fight win streak, the most recent being an opening-round knockout victory against Song Kenan at UFC Macau last year.

Meanwhile, Leal was 1-1 in the octagon. After an unsuccessful promotional debut at UFC 308, the Brazilian bounced back and secured an opening-round knockout win over Alex Morono at UFC 313 earlier this year.

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Salikhov displayed his striking prowess by knocking out Leal with a vicious overhand right at the 0:42 mark of the opening round, sending 'The Lion' crashing to the canvas.

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Check out the post below:

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Fans soon rushed to the comments section to share their reactions.

One fan wrote:

''Who said Dagestani Russians can't strike?''
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Another stated:

''Him vs Wonderboy next''
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Other fans wrote:

''Many fans were worried for old Salikhov because Leal seemed unstoppable after his last few scraps but then the coach yelled out overhead and whamo.''
''Now I didn’t see that coming wow. Both hands down. Wide open. Fu*k. Fair play. Leal was on his a*s too. Landed a few shots and got real aggressive. Fu*k''
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Check out more reactions below:

Fan reactions [Screenshots courtesy: @ChampRDS on X]
Fan reactions [Screenshots courtesy: @ChampRDS on X]

Salikhov (22-5) now has 15 first-round finishes. During his post-fight octagon interview with Michael Bisping, 'King of Kung Fu' called out Stephen Thompson:

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''I’m 41 years young. I’m still improving... 'Wonderboy,' I want to fight with you. Let’s go.''

Check out Muslim Salikhov's comments below (0:33):

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena
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