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Stephen Thompson responds to UFC Abu Dhabi star’s ‘old guys’ callout after KO that shocked Islam Makhachev

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Curtis Calhoun | Last updated Jul 28, 2025 4:59 PM ET

UFC Abu Dhabi winner Muslim Salikhov got a response from Stephen Thompson after his post-knockout callout.

UFC welterweight Muslim Salikhov proved that 41 may be the new 31 with a vicious knockout of Carlos Leal last Saturday at UFC Abu Dhabi. The ‘King of Kung Fu’ knocked Leal unconscious with one punch in a shocking performance inside the Octagon.

Salikhov has now won three consecutive fights and has turned over a new leaf at this point in his career. As Salikhov continues to fight well into his 40s, it appears he isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Stephen Thompson answers Muslim Salikhov’s UFC Abu Dhabi callout

Salikhov’s knockout went viral over the weekend, as former UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and others had stunning reactions to the finish.

After earning one of the biggest highlight-reel victories of his career, Salikhov didn’t hesitate to shoot his shot as he called for his next fight.

During his UFC Abu Dhabi post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, Salikhov wrapped up his time on the mic with a message for former title challenger Stephen Thompson.

“Hey Wonderboy! I want a fight with you, let’s go!” Salikhov said.

In a recent post to X, Thompson responded to Salikhov.

“Salikhov showing out for the “old guys” let’s gooo! Respect,” Thompson replied.

Thompson isn’t hanging up the gloves despite suffering a nasty shin injury in his most-recent fight against Gabriel Bonfim at UFC Nashville earlier this month. In a controversial result, Thompson lost to Bonfim by split decision, dropping his fifth fight over his last six appearances.

UFC CEO Dana White admitted he wants to see Thompson ‘stick around’ in the promotion despite his ongoing losing skid. Thompson, 42, hasn’t won since finishing Kevin Holland at UFC Orlando in 2022.

A matchup between Thompson and Salikhov would put two of the most dangerous strikers in the welterweight division against each other. Both Salikhov and Thompson don’t appear to be hanging up the gloves just yet, making a potential fight all the more enticing.

Shara Magomedov had to get nose surgery after brutal UFC Abu Dhabi fight

In other UFC Abu Dhabi-related news, star middleweight Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov underwent successful surgery on his nose after a wild fight with Marc-Andre Barriault on the main card. Magomedov won the fight by unanimous decision to bounce back from his first-career loss suffered in February.

As of this writing, former UFC champion Robert Whittaker hasn’t issued any public remarks since his loss to Reinier de Ridder in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event. Whittaker is outside of the middleweight title mix for the first time in years.