Capping off an entertaining UFC Vegas 120 card Saturday night at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, UFC lightweight contender Quillan Salkilld (13-1 MMA) delivered a potentially career-defining performance against the always-durable Mateusz Gamrot (26-5 MMA) with a first-round rear-naked choke.
Salkilld has quickly emerged as a lightweight to pay attention to in a division that has experienced recent parity at the top. In June at UFC Freedom 250 in Washington, D.C., Justin Gaethje upset Ilia Topuria to become the new champion, which opens up a fresh lineup of contenders should Gaethje opt to defend his title a few more times.
Even if it doesn’t happen, Salkilld said he is already interested in bigger opportunities down the line where the stakes attached will be clearer than ever before. If it were up to Salkilld, a Perth, Western Australia native, his next booking is flexible (but he suggests a certain, unorthodox stylistic matchup).
Quillan Salkilld Calls For UFC Rankings Boost
“Hell yeah, I agree 100 percent this [rankings boost] is the next step, Top-15 now Top-10, now we enter those very high profile matchups,” Salkilld told reporters after the event.
In reviewing the UFC rankings, Salkilld pointed out that Benoit Saint-Denis could use a booking down the line, as he is in the midst of the fallout from his first-round submission loss to Paddy Pimblett last month at UFC 329 in the co-main event in Las Vegas.
Could Benoit Saint-Denis Be Possible Future UFC Opponent?
“Yeah, 100 percent [Benoit Saint-Denis] is the one I’ve had my eyes on for a bit, all those guys in the Top-5, as long as it moves me up towards the title shot.
Salkilld said he is willing to listen to UFC brass regarding any potential matchups, as long as activity remains the ultimate goal.
Quillan Salkilld Expects UFC Title Implications To Increase
“It looks like BSD is the only one who isn’t (booked to fight yet]. Yeah, he’s coming off a loss, but he didn’t get damaged in that fight, so it’s a cool matchup I think,” Salkilld added.
Salkilld debuted in the UFC against Anshul Jubli last February at UFC 312. Out of his six Octagon victories, only one has gone to the judges’ scorecards, as he earned a unanimous decision against Yanal Ashmouz at UFC 316 four months later.
Thus far this year, though, Salkilld is 3-0 in the Octagon as five of his last six fights have earned him Performance of the Night honors.
We’ll see what’s next for Salkilld. Evidently, though, bigger fights are on the horizon.
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