Quillan Salkilld made a serious statement at UFC Vegas 120, submitting Mateusz Gamrot in the opening round. With his fourth straight first-round finish, the 26-year-old Australian looks more than ready for a step up in competition at 155 pounds. And Daniel Cormier completely agrees.
The UFC Hall of Famer was cageside on commentary as Salkilld neutralized Gamrot with a rear-naked choke. After watching the young lightweight score the biggest win of his career, Cormier believes Salkilld could be ready for some of the biggest names in the division.
Speaking in a new YouTube video, the former two-division champion admitted that Salkilld’s performance caught him completely off guard. He said, “I would have probably given you multiple scenarios on how that fight played out. Salkilld submitting Gamrot was not one of them in the least.”
Cormier then compared Salkilld’s recent wins over Beneil Dariush and Gamrot to Charles Oliveira’s victories over the same two opponents. However, the Australian managed to get the job done even quicker on both occasions.
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He said, “Quillan Salkilld has now done to Beneil Dariush and Mateusz Gamrot what Charles Oliveira has done, but faster – and better, honestly.”
For context, Oliveira submitted Gamrot at UFC Rio at 2:48 of the second round. He also stopped Dariush at UFC 289 with a first-round knockout at 4:10. Salkilld, meanwhile, needed just 3:29 to knock out Dariush at UFC Perth earlier this year before submitting Gamrot in 4:25 at UFC Vegas 120.
For Cormier, though, this wasn’t just another win for a promising prospect. It was the kind of performance that announces a fighter as someone who could belong among the elite.
He said, “It’s always fun when you get a young prospect who truly does announce himself to the elite, and you get the feel it’s believable, and he can take this past what many thought he could. That was not only a victory, that was a statement.”
With that statement made, Cormier believes Salkilld should now be matched with a legitimate top contender at lightweight. And he has a few names in mind. “I would not be upset if this young man got a Charles Oliveira.”
He then mentioned another couple of big names who could make sense for the surging Australian. He added, “I would not be upset if this man got a Paddy Pimblett. I would not be upset if this young man got a Benoit Saint Denis – somewhere in that range of fighter that allows him to continue his ascent up the rankings if he gets a victory. It’s hard now to see a matchup style that he can’t handle.”
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Saint-Denis could be particularly interesting. Salkilld revealed at the UFC Vegas 120 post-fight press conference that he would be open to facing the Frenchman at this year’s Madison Square Garden card.
The Australian is now a perfect 6-0 inside the Octagon, with five of those wins coming by first-round finish. He should also leapfrog Gamrot in the lightweight rankings next week, putting him within striking distance of the division’s Top 5.
Salkilld has gone from promising prospect to a genuine lightweight threat in the space of just a few fights. Now, the big question is who the UFC puts in front of him next.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
