Francisco Trinaldo and Muslim Salikhov were looking to extend impressive win streaks at UFC Vegas 28 on Saturday.
Trinaldo, with the fountain of youth apparently in his grasp, was at age 42, moving up to welterweight for the first time at the event. That, after missing weight in his last outing — though still capturing the win, his third straight. Salikhov, at 36, had won four straight since his octagon debut and had the advantage of having competed as a welterweight for years.
Both fighters swung and missed early in this one, then Trinaldo landed a nice body kick. Salikhov threw his first spinning kick but missed. Salikhov landed a heavy kick and a head kick that was partially blocked. He landed a front kick a short time after, but Trinaldo marched forward. Trinaldo barely missed a heavy right hook. Less than 90 seconds remaining in the round, and Trinaldo landed a right hand that got Salikhov’s attention. After a wild flurry in the final 30 seconds, Salikhov landed an uppercut that dropped Trinaldo. Salikhov pounced and started throwing ground and pound; Trinaldo ate all of them. The round ends with Salikhov being grabbed by Trinaldo.
Trinaldo started round two as if the last portion of round one never happened by walking down Salikhov. With one minute in the bag, both fighters landed combos. Trinaldo landed a left hand, and Salikhov answered back with a heavy punch. Salikhov landed a right hand that hurt Trianaldo and wobbled him. Salikhov didn’t rush him; instead, he fired a high kick. Trinaldo got his wits back and started firing back. Trinaldo landed a punch himself that really backed Salikhov up. Salikhov hit Trinaldo with a teep kick, but the Brazilian showed no emotion as the round ended with both feinting.
Round three started with an eye poke which halted the action just as it was getting going. Salikhov is fine, and the fight continued. Trinaldo landed a left hand on the side that Salikhov had been poked in— followed by a high kick. Salikhov started for a takedown, but Trinaldo stuffed it. Trinaldo clinched with Salikhov against the fence but nothing. Trinaldo was dropped, and after a few kicks on the ground, the referee stood him up. Salikhov threw two spinning kicks within 15 seconds, but missed both. Salikhov wobbled Trianaldo with a 1-2, but Trinaldo kept coming forward. Salikhov landed a takedown with 45 seconds left to seal the victory, most likely. The fight ended with Salikhov on top.
Official Result: Muslim Salikhov def. Francisco Trinaldo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
