"I'm Almost 40, But I'm No Worse Than The Young". Salikhov Talks New UFC Contract, Doping, Makhachev And Mokaev

The UFC 296 tournament, which will be held on the night of December 17 in Las Vegas, will open with a fight between Muslim Salikhov and Randy Brown. This will be the tenth fight for the Russian in the world's best league.

In an exclusive interview with Telecomasia.net, Salikhov spoke:

• about feeling better before his fight with Brown;
• about signing a new contract with the UFC;
• about his shape at the age of 39;
• his possible move to middleweight;
• the doping scandal he's been in;
• the prospects of Muhammad Mokaev and Islam Makhachev;
• gave a prediction for the fight between Colby Covington and Leon Edwards.

- How was your preparation for your upcoming fight?

- Thank God, everything is good. I feel great. I flew to the U.S. on Friday, got my visa and immediately came here. I calculated everything so that I could get tickets by the deadline.

- How is your acclimatization, is the jet lag over?

- I had serious jet lag, I slept for a couple of days. I'm fine now. It was difficult to wake up for this interview.

- How many fights are left on your contract?

- I signed a new contract for four fights.

- How much has your power performance changed compared to 2017, when you made your UFC debut?

- Are you implying that I've gotten older? It's fine, nothing has changed, some things have even gotten better.

So far I don't feel that I have become worse in any way. Because I have stability, I didn't take long breaks, and I don't rest for more than two weeks after fights, if there are no injuries. Of course, I don't train as hard after fights, but I maintain my form. I just enjoy sport, I can't live without it. Some people laugh at me, they think that I'm too childish, because I'm always at the gym. I am almost 40 years old, but I am no worse than the young athletes. Why should I quit sports? I will be training all my life.So far I don't feel that I have become worse in any way. Because I have stability, I didn't take long breaks, and I don't rest for more than two weeks after fights, if there are no injuries. Of course, I don't train as hard after fights, but I maintain my form. I just enjoy sport, I can't live without it. Some people laugh at me, they think that I'm too childish, because I'm always at the gym. I am almost 40 years old, but I am no worse than the young athletes. Why should I quit sports? I will be training all my life.

Muslim Salikhov

- Some think that after a professional athlete can rest for a week after a fight, and then they must return to the gym and train hard. And Sharabutdin Magomedov's coach Gor Azizyan believes that some athletes need to "let go".

- People like Shara can take a rest, because he is young. It will cost him no losses. If I take a break of two months, I will have to make up for all this for a year. I realize that, so I keep it consistent. If I don't train for a couple weeks, my weight immediately goes over 90 lbs. It all varies from person to person.

- Didn't you want to try your hand in the middleweight division?

- I am not tall enough to compete in the welterweight division. I have the height of a lightweight. I'm always a head shorter than my opponents in the welterweight division. I don't want to fight in the middleweight division. I like to fight at 77 kilograms, because my metrics fit it.

- Usman Nurmagomedov recently got involved in a doping scandal. His doping sample was found to contain a banned substance, but they did not specify which one. There was a period when you were accused of doping, but you were justified. Can Usman also be acquitted if the banned substance is found to be in some antiviral drug?

- Of course. One should be more careful and realize that every pill and vitamin can have consequences. Now there is a problem with drugs, not all of them are the original ones, so anything can be there. I think that's what happened to Usman. I'm sure it wasn't doping. Everybody's talking about it. It's just something got into the system with the drug when Nurmagomedov was being treated. There can be no questions about him.

- How many times in 2023 have you been tested for doping?

- I didn't count. They came five or six times. When I was in a doping scandal, they came twice a week. They said that everyone in USADA knows Muslim Salikhov. I was the most popular athlete in Russia, they came to see me most often. Thanks to this it turned out that I had not taken anything. They realized that I was an honest athlete. I didn't tarnish my name with doping. I was happy to cooperate to justify myself. How could I take it if I was always tested for doping during my wushu-sanda performances, I was in the ADAMS system. It's a good thing this came to light. The commission can even come to your house at six in the morning.

- What if the athlete isn't home?

- You can't be away. You specify the place and the time of your stay in the program. If you indicate it, you must be there. If you go somewhere else, you must notify the commission.

- USADA will stop its cooperation with the UFC from next year. Were the athletes told if the testing system will change?

- They will keep going to your house and take samples. I have already registered in the new program and indicated my location by the end of March.

- How do you evaluate Muhammad Mokaev's prospects of becoming the flyweight champion? He had a very tough fight with Tim Elliott and yet he won a very strong-willed victory.

If God grants him health, there's no doubt he'll become the champion. This kid's mentality is on another level, it's not like everyone else's. He's ready to cut off his leg just to fight on. Mokaev was submitted, choked, but he endured and escaped. This shows his character, his willingness to fight to the end. In the near future, I think there will be another UFC champion from Dagestan. All children and teenagers know and love him. He is a star for the young generation. And I like him, his character and upbringing. And he has been through some hard times in his life, even though he lived in England. Migrants have a hard life there at first. It will bring him the belt.

- At UFC 296, Colby Covington and Leon Edwards will fight in the main event. How do you rate Covington's chances in this fight?

- I think Edwards is the favorite. What can Covington do to win this fight? Wrestling? Leon's got a good wrestling game. Colby doesn't have much of a chance in the standup. Edwards beat Kamaru Usman twice, who had beaten Covington. I don't think he can surprise Edwards much.

- How successful can Islam Makhachev be at welterweight?

- Islam is a high level fighter, he is the best fighter in the world at the moment. I don't even know who he should fight at lightweight, he's cleared everyone there. It will be right for him to move up to welterweight and fight a champion straight away, he deserves it. He's as good as Edwards, and his wrestling is on another level. There aren't many wrestlers like that in the UFC. I don't think it matters to him, he can be a champion at 170 lbs too.