Lightweight lightning rod Quillan Salkilld looks to go from hot prospect to contender in his first headlining act against top-10 staple Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Vegas 120 at the Meta APEX on Saturday night (Sunday morning SA time), writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.
ALSO READ: Top Five UFC Fights To Look Forward To In August.
The co-main event is also a lightweight affair, with Diego Ferreira and Billy Quarantillo set to put on a show. Darren Elkins and Yadier del Valle face off at featherweight, Amanda Lemos locks horns with Alexia Thainara at strawweight, and the unbeaten Ty Miller meets Billy Goff in a welterweight showdown.
MAIN CARD:
When: Sunday, August 8, 2 AM SAST
Mateusz Gamrot (2.10) vs Quillan Salkilld (1.74) (Lightweight)
Australia has produced three UFC champions in reigning featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski, former middleweight ruler Robert Whittaker and ex-welterweight titleholder Jack Della Maddalena.
A surging Salkilld (12-1) has Aussie fans raving that he could become the fourth fighter to bring UFC gold Down Under, and with good reason, as he’s taken the world’s pre-eminent mixed martial arts promotion by storm since his arrival last February.
A sensational 19-second knockout over Anshul Jubli in his promotional debut set the tone for a thrilling and impressive first year on the roster, which included three more victories, including another highlight-reel KO of Nasrat Haqparast and tapping out Jamie Mullarkey.
A marauder with a moustache that would make Australian cricket legend David Boon jealous, he took the next step in his career by knocking out perennial contender Beneil Dariush in three-and-a-half minutes on home soil in May, and if he can get past Gamrot (26-4), he’ll be a bona fide contender in the stacked 155-pound division.
A fixture in the top 10, Gamrot has a ton of experience inside the Octagon and boasts high-profile wins over Arman Tsarukyan, currently ranked second, former champion Rafael dos Anjos, Rafael Fiziev and Jeremy Stephens.
Inconsistency has kept him from closing in on a title shot as he’s alternated results in each of his last four fights. He bounced back from a big upset loss to Dan Hooker with a decision win over Ludovit Klein, and had to restart again after being submitted by former champion Charles Oliveira, which he did by tapping out Esteban Ribovics in May.
Eighth-ranked “Gamer” is a relentless wrestler who’ll have to play a dangerous game in Las Vegas, one that requires him to close the distance against a better and rangier striker, as staying on the outside would prove pointless.
While he might have some success and complete a couple of takedowns, staying perfect for 25 minutes is an extremely difficult task and sooner or later, he’ll walk/run/shoot into something from the sharpshooting Salkilld that’ll end his night.
Prediction: Salkilld by knockout.
Best Bet: Salkilld by KO/TKO/DQ at 3.75.
Alternative Bet: Salkilld at 1.74.
Diego Ferreira (1.57) vs Billy Quarantillo (2.43) (Lightweight)
Two do-or-die fighters looking to turn their fortunes around will throw caution to the wind in what should be a wild co-main event.
Both men are desperate to snap a two-fight skid, making them even more dangerous than usual, which is saying something.
Ferreira (19-7) has a power advantage and has climbed the ladder the higher of the two, operating inside the lightweight top 15 in his prime.
At 41, he’s nearing the end of his career and is likely fighting to remain on the roster this weekend.
Even though Quarantillo (18-7) has more fighting ahead of him than his veteran foe, he doesn’t want to waste a second as he’s returning from a 20-month lay-off.
This scrap signifies the next chapter in Billy Q’s career with the all-action American moving back up to lightweight after a decade of duking it out at featherweight.
He only has one speed, and that’s full blast, which is good for fans but bound to cost him against his Brazilian adversary, who’s sharper, the harder hitter and the better grappler.
Prediction: Ferreira by knockout.
Best Bet: Ferreira by KO/TKO/DQ at 3.40.
Alternative Bet: Ferreira at 1.57.
Darren Elkins (6.40) vs Yadier del Valle (1.12) (Featherweight)
As mentioned, headliner Gamrot is known as “Gamer” and Elkins (29-12) is certainly one as well. The veteran scrapper is willing to fight anyone, anywhere, anytime, including the highly-touted Del Valle (10-1).
An old-school warhorse who’s battled it out inside the Octagon for the last 16 years, he’s violent and durable, traits that earned him the nickname “The Damage.”
Coming off a knockout loss to Julian Erosa and at 42 years of age, he’s the biggest underdog on the main card by a country mile.
Twelve years his junior, Del Valle will be spitting venom after having his undefeated streak snapped by Jordan Leavitt last time out.
“The Cuban Problem” won both of his UFC bouts prior to that by submission, and there’s good money to be made by backing him to return to that form.
Prediction: Del Valle by submission.
Best Bet: Del Valle by submission at 3.85.
Alternative Bet: Del Valle by KO/TKO/DQ at 1.99.
Amanda Lemos (3.00) vs Alexia Thainara (1.39) (Strawweight)
It’s a battle of Brazilians in the strawweight division. The storyline of this fight is the same as that of the main event, with veteran Lemos (15-6-1) serving as the litmus test for rising star Thainara (14-1).
A former title challenger, she holds a victory over current champion Mackenzie Dern, but has won just one of her three fights since then. The 39-year-old has slipped down to No 11 in the rankings, one spot below her opponent this weekend, and can’t afford another loss at this stage of her career.
Solid victories over Molly McCann, Loma Lookboonmee and Bruna Brasil to start her UFC career have stretched Thainara’s winning streak to 12. The 28-year-old is a high-level grappler and should be able to dictate terms to earn the biggest scalp of her career.
Prediction: Thainara by decision.
Best Bet: Thainara by decision at 1.98.
Billy Goff (4.00) vs Ty Miller (1.25) (Welterweight)
Welterweights in the early stages of their UFC careers have the party-starting duties this weekend.
Miller stopped Adam Fugitt in his promotional debut in January to extend his flawless record to 7-0 with one no contest. At 26, “Thriller” has a ton of upside and is heavily favoured in what should mainly be a striking battle.
Goff (9-4) has already run into trouble. The 28-year-old has fought just once in each of the last three years and enters the main card opener on a two-fight losing streak. It’s been over a year since his last outing, a submission defeat to Ramiz Brahimaj, leaving him in serious need to reignite his career.
Miller has momentum on his side and at six-foot-two, he has a massive size advantage – four inches in height and five in reach, a combination that should prove decisive.
Prediction: Miller by knockout.
Best Bet: Miller by KO/TKO/DQ at 2.04.
Alternative Bet: Fight to finish inside the distance at 1.63.
Note: Odds subject to change.
Quintin van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 20 years of experience.
