A Russian fighter has set his sights on former opponent Rakhmonov in the UFC.

Russian UFC welterweight fighter Muslim Salikhov (21-5) is eager to share the octagon with former title challenger American Stephen Thompson (17-8-1), as reported by Vesti.kz.

Over the past weekend, Salikhov delivered a stunning knockout against Chinese fighter Kenan Song (22-9) at the UFC event in Macau (China). The video is available here.

"I am ready to step into the octagon before Ramadan, as this fight went well for me without injuries. The match against Song was not tough. The preparation was intense, but it has only benefited me. I would like to fight Stephen Thompson and see whose kung fu is superior," Salikhov is quoted by metaratings.ru.

Recall that Thompson faced Kazakh fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0) in December 2023 and suffered a knockout defeat in the second round.

Earlier, Salikhov named the winner of the upcoming fight between Rakhmonov and Irishman Ian Garry (15-0). They will clash on December 7 at UFC 310 in Las Vegas (USA). The bout will be a co-main event and is scheduled for five rounds.

Rakhmonov is currently ranked third in the UFC welterweight division, while Garry holds the seventh spot. The champion of the division is American fighter Belal Muhammad (24-3), who had to withdraw from his fight against the Kazakh due to medical reasons.

The main event of the evening? UFC has announced the full card for UFC 310 featuring the Rakhmonov - Garry fight.