Randy Brown made a statement in a battle of veteran welterweights at UFC Vegas 85 as he knocked out Muslim Salikhov in the first round with an intelligent boxing combination.
Both fighters were in opposite positions coming into this fight. Both had alternated wins and losses recently. The difference being that Randy Brown was coming off a win while in his physical prime, while Salikhov was not. Both men had been on the edge of the welterweight top 15 for several years, and both needed a win here to really have a shot at doing something in the rankings before they were too old to have an impact.
Salikhov began the fight by countering the jab with a hard low kick to the long, skinny calf of Randy Brown, a tactic he would key in on for most of the fight. Randy switched back and forth and used teeps and jabs to control range mostly. Brown poked Salikhov’s eye halfway through the round, but Muslim was fine to continue. Randy got back to action with a swift headkick; Salikhov blocked it at the last moment and responed by beginning to use his classic spinning kicks, learned from his Sanda background. Then in a flash it was over. Randy Brown dropped the hammer of his right hand following a double jab. Salikhov hit the ground like a sack of potatoes and rolled over. One more shot hit him on the ear before the referee stepped in.
Randy Brown’s knockout was everything a beautiful knockout should be and will now be the best highlight on his reel in the last several years. Randy Brown stated how badly he needed that knockout after letting out a sigh of relief and a scream of joy. He improved to a stellar 12-5 record in the UFC and used that to call for a spot on the massive upcoming UFC 300 card.
Official Result: Randy Brown def. Muslim Salikhov by TKO, Round 1, 3:17
