Weight Class: Welterweight
Record: 6-0
Age: 25
Height: 6’2”
Born In: Russia
Training Out Of: The Academy Fight Club
Combined Opponent Records (at the time they fought): 76-41
Key Wins: Serik Razgaliev, Yurik Smoyan
Originally slated to face Trukon Carson at welterweight before being booked to meet Chris Ewert at middleweight, Alan Salamov will now put his undefeated record on the line in a 180-pound catchweight bout with Bellator veteran Derek Campos at Fury FC 120.
Although his professional MMA record is only 6-0, Salamov also began his career with an 8-0 run in modified rules MMA bouts with Russian promotion Nashe Delo Fights. He debuted for Hardcore MMA six months after his last win with Nashe Delo and took a unanimous decision over Zalimkhan Yusupov.
The following year, Salamov won back-to-back welterweight title fights before stopping Serik Razgaliev in his lone appearance of 2024 and last fight with Hardcore MMA. Last year, the 25-year-old competed under the Vladikavkaz MMA and BetCity Fight Nights banners and knocked out both of his opponents in under a minute.
A composed and confident striker, Salamov relies mainly on his jab and 1-2 when taking the lead with his punches. He’ll also frequently throw out front kicks and switch stances off of these, although he tends to just give his opponents brief looks from southpaw without really committing to fighting out of that stance.
He has plenty of power in his hands and can drop opponents if he catches them clean while leading, but most of Salamov’s offense is thrown out in order to try and get his opponents to throw back at him. He’s shown off good timing on his counter right straight and will also look to catch his opposition with a left hook as they start to come forward.
Salamov also likes to mix in the occasional flying knee and loves to try and time step-up lead knees, which are arguably his most dangerous weapon. These work as a deterrent for takedowns as well as a way to halt opponents before they can get any really rhythm going in their striking, and if he senses that an opponent his hurt he’ll turn things up and start to unload on them with a mix of punches and knees.
When an opponent is able to get in on his hips, Salamov has shown off some strong takedown defense and is usually quick to create space and work back to his feet if he does hit the canvas. One area where opponents have been able to find success controlling him is in clinches along the fence, although these positions usually end up just being lengthy periods of minimal activity until Salamov decides to try and force his way back towards the middle of the cage.
It says a lot about the hype around Salamov that Fury FC immediately slotted him into a main event for his promotional debut, and it’s unfortunate that both his original matchup with Carson and replacement fight with Ewert fell through.
The 25-year-old picked up some very solid wins with Hardcore MMA before absolutely running through his last two opponents, and he’s one of the more promising welterweight prospects that I’ve seen recently. Another big win at Fury FC 120 would make Salamov a strong candidate for Dana White’s Contender Series, especially given that he’s apparently been spending time at AKA and the UFC PI working with Daniel Cormier and his team for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter.
