Muslim Salikhov withdraws from Jake Matthews bout at UFC Macau

Muslim Salikhov has been forced to pull out of his welterweight matchup against Jake Matthews at UFC Macau, with the Russian veteran set to undergo elbow surgery. The bout has been officially cancelled, according to source Kevin K., and no timeline for Salikhov's return to competition has been announced. Matthews will now require a replacement opponent or could be removed from the card entirely.

Salikhov, known as "King of Kung Fu," carries a record of 22 wins and 6 losses at 42 years old. Representing the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov School out of Russia, he stands five-foot-eleven with a 70-inch reach. The orthodox striker lands 3.37 significant strikes per minute at a 49 percent accuracy rate, making him one of the more precise stand-up fighters in the division.

His scheduled opponent, Jake Matthews, is a 31-year-old Australian out of Nexus who holds a 22-8 record. "The Celtic Kid" matches Salikhov in height at five-foot-eleven but holds a slight reach advantage at 73 inches. Matthews averages 3.34 significant strikes per minute and adds a grappling dimension to his game, averaging 1.44 takedowns and 0.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes.

Why it matters

• Salikhov's elbow surgery carries an uncertain recovery timeline, leaving his future scheduling in doubt at age 42
• Matthews now faces the prospect of a late replacement fight or being removed from the UFC Macau card altogether
• The cancellation disrupts a closely matched stylistic pairing between two orthodox strikers with near-identical output rates
• Both fighters sit outside the top rankings, but a win for either would have carried meaningful divisional momentum