LAS VEGAS – Muslim Salikhov has made some big changes in his fighting career.
The Dagestan fighter moved his training camp to the U.S. and is now working under American Top Team in South Florida. This change was triggered by a TKO loss he suffered against Li Jingliang this past summer at UFC on ABC 3. The defeat put an end to a five-fight winning streak.
Salikhov (18-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) felt he needed to make a major move ahead of his return against Andre Fialho (16-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) on the main card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 215.
“I changed everything,” Salikhov said. “I changed my team, I come to America before like two-and-a-half months and prepare here. Before, I trained with a small team with one coach. Now I change everything and I feel like I’m learning a lot and I feel more comfortable anywhere. … I feel great right now, and I’m sure this fight will be different.”
Salikhov is hoping the switch to ATT will pay off this Saturday. Salikhov very much likes the matchup he has in front of him and is confident he can get the job done.
“I watched some fights,” Salikhov said regarding his opponent. “He always puts pressure, good boxer. I like his style. He’s searching, always trying to finish the fight. But I like to do the same thing. I like to finish the fight always. I never think about the points. It’s going to be a good fight for us.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 215.
