All it took was a single punch from Randy Brown to end Muslim Salikhov’s night in dramatic fashion.
Following a back-and-forth fight throughout the opening round, Brown put an exclamation point on his performance after he connected with a devastating right hand that clipped Salikhov on the jaw and sent him crashing to the canvas. Brown delivered one more punch as referee Kerry Hatley rushed in to stop the action with the end coming at just 3:17 into the opening round.
“I needed that,” Brown said about his finish. “I feel like people don’t really get to see what I’m truly capable of. Muslim is a hell of a fighter, a hell of a martial artist. Big respect. I saw the opening and just dropped it. Put me in here for [UFC] 300 against anybody, I do not care. I’m telling you I’m a top 15, top 10 caliber fighter.”
Known for his flashy moves and spin kicks, Salikhov didn’t make it easy on Brown as he came out firing immediately, looking to close the distance on his taller opponent. Salikhov landed a few calf kicks that landed with a sickening thud and that was definitely a weapon he wanted to exploit all night long.
Brown just never gave him the chance after he adjusted his distance and started setting up his combinations on the feet. With height and reach on his side, Brown began tagging Salikhov with rapid-fire punches that eventually set up the finish.
As his coaches were yelling about the opening, Brown saw exactly what they wanted as he tossed out two quick left jabs and just as Salikhov moved his head out of the way, the New York based fighter unleashed a right hand that snapped the Russian’s head around before he fell to the canvas.
It was a very impressive knockout from Brown, who improved to 6-1 in his past seven fights with this latest victory at UFC Vegas 85.