UFC 251: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Muslim Salikhov Play-by-Play

A welterweight battle between Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Muslim Salikhov happened on the prelims of UFC 251. It went like this.

Bout 7: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (22-6) vs. Muslim Salikhov (16-2) (Welterweight)

Dos Santos and Salikhov essentially took turns trading strikes in the first round. Salikhov stopped a takedown in the final minute of the round. A right hook from dos Santos hurt Salikhov late in the round Salikhov shot for a takedown, with dos Santos landing strikes on the ground before the round ended.

Salikhov caught a slipping back kick to throw down dos Santos in the second minute. The fight did not go to the ground after. Dos Santos landed a hard punch in the second minute, but Salikhov was able to get out of the situation by clinching up. They separated with just under half the round to go. Dos Santos ducked what could have been a vicious spinning back kick in the fourth minute. Salikhov scored with a hard uppercut in the last minute of the round. 

The third round was a slow one as the fighters traded combinations on the feet. Dos Santos was the more active fighter on the feet. A split decision favoured Salikhov (30-27 Salikhov, 29-28 Zaleski & 29-28 Salikhov).

RESULT: Muslim Salikhov def. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos via Decision, Split

My Scorecard:

Live coverage of UFC 251 can be found here.