MMA Fighting Share this story A welterweight bout between Muslim Salikhov and Santiago Ponzinibbio is off for now. MMA Fighting has confirmed with sources with knowledge of the change that Salikhov will not be competing against Ponzinibbio on the UFC’s upcoming Jan. 16 event due to health issues. Salikhov first announced his withdrawal via Instagram on Tuesday. Salikhov did not give a timetable for his return, though he indicates that he plans to focus on recovery. “King of Kung Fu” also withdrew from his previous booking, an Oct. 17 encounter with Claudio Silva. In his post, Salikhov mentions that his health issues are related to COVID-19 symptoms dating back to September.