41-year-old 'King of Kung Fu' scores walk-off knockout on UFC prelims

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Mathew Riddle | Last updated Jul 26, 2025 2:44 PM ET

Chris Unger-Zuffa LLC

Muslim Salikhov turned back the clock on the UFC Abu Dhabi prelims, scoring an emphatic walk-off knockout over Carlos Leal.

'The Kung Fu King' opened as the betting underdog, coming up against the 22-6 Leal, a hulking wall of welterweight muscle, who impressed in his first three UFC appearances. Many thought he did enough to beat the highly touted Rinat Fakhretdinov, and he asserted his dominance by knocking out Alex Morono in his next fight.

Leal looked to keep that momentum rolling, but Salikhov had other plans.

Muslim Salikhov floors Carlos Leal with a missile right hand at UFC Abu Dhabi

Following some milquetoast prelims, Salikhov and Leal stepped in as the penultimate fight on the Fight Pass portion of the card. Leal marauded forward, pressuring Salikhov with intense boxing, looking to secure an early finish over the aged fighting Russian.

Backed up to the Octagon-side, Salikhov braced for impact before launching a colossal overhand hook that all but knocked Leal out cold. He walked away to secure a highlight reel walk-off knockout.

OH MY GOODNESS

Muslim Salikhov with a STUNNING WALK OFF KO at #UFCAbuDhabi!

[ #InAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/7NvqeLlc0x
— UFC (@ufc) July 26, 2025

Salikhov's win extends his winning streak to three. He last defeated Song Kenan at UFC Tampa in 2024 with a spinning wheel kick.

MUSLIM SALIKHOV KNOCKS OUT SONG KENAN!

WHAT A KNOCKOUT! #UFCMacau pic.twitter.com/5AbQ93y3Ah
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 23, 2024

Unfortunately for Leal, he'll have to go back to the drawing board. His juggernaut style has been cracked wide open, and any benefit of the doubt from his debut loss has been erased.

This article first appeared on MMA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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