Combate first reported the matchup. UFC 251 takes place at Yas
Island in Abu Dhabi on July 11 and features a trio of title fights,
including a welterweight championship clash pitting Kamaru
Usman against Gilbert
Burns in the evening’s headliner. The main card airs on
pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Dos Santos has been victorious in eight of his last nine Octagon
appearances. After an eight-bout winning streak was halted by
Jingliang
Li at UFC Fight Night 157, “Capoeira” rebounded to outpoint
Alexey
Kunchenko in his most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 170. The
33-year-old Brazilian owns a 22-6 career mark and has finished 17
of his victories inside the distance.
Salikhov, meanwhile, has won three straight since fallling to
Alex
Garcia in his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 122. The
36-year-old Dagestani followed knockout triumphs against Ricky
Rainey and Nordine
Taleb with a unanimous decision over Laureano
Staropoli in his last outing at UFC Fight Night 162. “The King
of Kung Fu” is 16-2 as a professional, with 12 wins coming via
knockout or technical knockout.