A new star is rising on the UFC lightweight ladder.
Quillan Salkilld’s perfect start in the UFC continued Saturday night when he beat veteran lightweight gatekeeper Mateusz Gamrot via submission in a Fight Night main event from the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.
The 26-year-old Salkilld has enjoyed a meteoric rise up the 155-pound rankings, entering Saturday’s showdown on a five-fight win streak since joining the UFC, complete with four Performance of the Night showings and three straight first-round knockout victories.
He put in yet another lightning-quick showing against Gamrot, forcing the Polish star to tap out with under a minute left in the first round after locking in a rear-naked choke.
The Aussie fighter came out gunning, connecting with an uppercut early in the bout, but was nearly punished by Gamrot when he got caught in a leg lock. However, Salkilld escaped, worked his way back into the bout, and locked in a vicious rear-naked choke after winning top control on a double-leg lock.
Coming into the fight as the No. 9-ranked challenger on the lightweight ladder, Salkilld is likely to rocket further up the division. However, the ranks remain rather crowded, with three former champions (Ilia Topuria, Charles Oliveira, Max Holloway) and a couple big-name fighters (Arman Tsarukyan, Paddy Pimblett) eyeing a title challenge all waiting for their own shot at current champ Justin Gaethje.
Salkilld is now 13-1 in pro MMA and 6-0 in UFC. All six of his fights in UFC have been in the last year and a half, and this marks his fourth win in a calendar year.
Gamrot, meanwhile, dropped to 26-5 in pro MMA and 9-5 in UFC. He’s 2-3 in his last five fights.