UFC Fight Night: Quillan Salkilld gets chance to continue his meteoric rise in his first main event fight

Salkilld has rapidly risen the ranks to earn a shot at veteran Mateusz Gamrot on Saturday in Las Vegas

Aug 5, 2026 at 1:10 pm ET • 5 min read

As Quillan Salkilld continues his climb up the lightweight rankings entering his headlining debut at Saturday's UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, the 26-year-old from Western Australia made sure to flash his sense of humor when it comes to an intriguing fact about his career. 

Salkilld (12-1), who is 5-0 since making his UFC debut in February 2025, didn't just lose his first pro MMA fight in 2021, he also lost his first amateur MMA bout and his first kickboxing bout.   

"It's just a curse. I'm not allowed to be undefeated, that's just the thing," Salkilld told CBS Sports HQ on Tuesday with a wry smile. "I'm just not allowed to win the first one. It's like a mulligan. We just get that one out of the way, it doesn't count. It's just a curse. I'm just not allowed to have that undefeated badge at any time."

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Not only did Salkilld follow up his first pro defeat with 12 consecutive wins, including nine by stoppage, he is now in possession of the No. 12 ranking by UFC at 155 pounds. He's the betting favorite against No. 8 Mateusz Gamrot (26-4, 1 NC) in their five-round bout this weekend inside the Meta Apex. 

Should Salkilld eventually go on to become a UFC champion, he would join an interesting club of those who have done the same after losing their pro debut, which includes the likes of Alex Pereira, Amanda Nunes, Cris Cyborg, Merab Dvalishvili, Jan Blachowicz, Glover Teixeira, Renan Barao, Andrei Arlovski and countryman Jack Della Maddalena. 

The fact that Salkilld's name is even being mentioned in the same sentence as others who have won UFC titles speaks to how quickly he has arrived on the scene and turned heads with his performances. Salkilld has only been a pro fighter for five years and has been in the UFC for less than two years, yet he has already produced a first-round TKO of veteran Beneil Dariush in May and a highlight-reel knockout of Nasrat Haqparast via head kick last October.

"It has probably gone a bit faster than what I expected before getting into the UFC but it just so happens that the performances I have put on have pushed me further and faster," Salkilld said. "I'm not necessarily surprised but it was just not expected. I've had a goal of speed running my way to the top of the division. So, getting past Mateusz is super important to me. This really skyrockets me to the top end of the division. I've worked extremely hard for this fight and I'm ready to put on a show Saturday and make a statement."

As Salkilld is quick to remind, it was he who called out Gamrot specifically for this fight. A relentless pressure wrestler, the 35-year-old native of Poland has some of the most intimidating cardio in the entire sport and holds victories in recent years as a perennial contender over the likes of Arman Tsarukyan, Jalin Turner, Rafael Fiziev, Esteban Ribovics and former champion Rafael dos Anjos. 

"I called out Gamrot because I want the hard fights in the division," Salkilld said. "I don't want to cherry pick my way to the top. I want these hard fights. I respect Gamrot a lot and respect his skillset. I think his most dangerous attribute is just his ability to push his wrestling pace for the whole fight. He's going to be nonstop on the attack with the grappling. This test is why I specifically called him out. I want these tough moments and these tests. I want to gain a lot of respect after this one, for sure."

Salkilld, who enters the fight having stopped 80% of takedown attempts throughout his short UFC run, said he expects to be taken down by Gamrot, who recorded six takedowns against Tsarukyan and 11 against RDA. But Salkilld believes the experience will only showcase his ability to pop back up quickly or reverse position against Gamrot on the ground. 

There's a veteran poise to the way Salkilld talks about his progression and the calmness he carries with him inside the Octagon. He also has an incredible knack for finishing opponents, with five of his nine stoppage wins coming by TKO and four by submission. 

"I'm a complete mixed martial artist," Salkilld said. "I think, over points of time in my career, it has favored one aspect over another. Earlier on, especially in my amateur career, people thought I was just a grappler because I was winning all of my fights by submission. But now, in the UFC, I've got a few knockouts so people just think I'm a pure striker. 

"I think it depends on the fight and depends on the day of what I'm feeling but I'm a compete mixed martial artist and I think my most dangerous asset in that cage is my ability to finish the fight anywhere. I can go on the attack at any point in the fight, no matter where it is."

Salkilld, who was born just outside of Perth in a town called Pinjarra, trains in the same city (but in different gyms) as Della Maddalena as both fighters play a key role in Western Australia's rapid growth in recent years as a new MMA hotbed.

"Honestly, we are just a tough bunch out here in West Auz," Salkilld said. "I don't think there is something special about us other than that we put our head down and we get to work. It's a bit more quiet over that side. I think we are the most isolated city on earth so we are a long way from everyone. It gets a bit quiet so when we find something we want to attack, there aren't much distractions. We just go head over heels and all in and I think that makes us very dangerous when it comes to this sport."