Quillan Salkilld in a hurry to move up UFC rankings

Still a youngster at 26 years of age, Quillan Salkilld does not want to waste any time in his Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

Salkilld (12-1) faced his biggest step up in competition by getting matched with Beneil Dariush (23-8-1) in the co-main event at UFC Perth on Saturday. While Salkilld closed as a betting favorite, Dariush surprised fans by dropping the local athlete early in the first round. While Dariush controlled Salkilld against the fence for a while, the Australian maintain his composure while displaying excellent takedown defense. Salkilld finally created separation and didn’t take much longer to finish Dariush with a vicious combo followed by ground-and-pound.

Salkilld, who celebrates a finish rate of 75% as a professional, otherwise believes he is a calm person in general. The 26-year-old never loses composure, irrespective of whether things are going his way or not. Salkilld said in his post-fight interview:

“That’s just part of my personality,” the victor expressed. “When s--t hits the fan, I don’t really stress too much. I stay calm in every situation. And I think that just spoke tonight… When it doesn’t go well, I’m all good. When it goes well, I don’t get too ahead of myself. I always stay calm and composed no matter the situation.”

This marked Salkilld’s fourth performance bonus in five victories since making his promotional debut last year. The young man has won twelve straight outings since his lone professional loss in his pro debut in 2021. Salkilld wants to zoom to the top of the UFC lightweight ladder, and he has his sights set on bigger things. The lightweight prospect is eyeing a top-10 ranked opponent next, possibly even a main event booking. Salkilld added:

“I’m not looking to take my time, I’m looking to jump in headfirst. Speedrunning this s--t, that’s what I’m looking to do. Hopefully they give me another big opportunity, another big name, brighter moment, hopefully a main event next, that would be wicked.”