Mateusz Gamrot Taps Out as Quillan Salkilld Establishes Himself as Dark Horse of UFC Lightweight Division

Quillan Salkilld bested his opponent, Mateusz Gamrot, at his own game and secured a stunning first-round submission victory.

Mateusz Gamrot Taps Out as Quillan Salkilld Establishes Himself as Dark Horse of UFC Lightweight Division

Quillan Salkilld submits Mateusz Gamrot (Image via UFC News/MMA Fighting)

Mateusz Gamrot vs Quillan Salkilld is a high-level main event for UFC Vegas 120. Salkilld is the rising star aiming to become a major contender. Meanwhile, Gamrot needed to crush the rising sensation to attract other high level matchups in the division.

Both fighters entered the bout with victory in mind to enter the stacked title picture at lightweight featuring Ilia Topuria, Arman Tsarukyan, and Paddy Pimblett just to name a few. However, it was Salkilld proved a point that he was ready for anyone with his dominant display at UFC Vegas 120.

As soon as the fight started, Salkilld hurt Gamrot with a jab that led the Polish star to shoot for a takedown. The Australian rising star defended it well and scrambled well for a bit. At one point, Gamrot tried to submit Salkilld with a leg lock, but the rising star remained calm through adversity.

Once both fighters got back up on their feet, there were some punches thrown. When Gamrot was not expecting, Salkilld shot a surprise takedown that took the fight to the ground once again.

The Australian star tried to control his opponent’s back, but Gamrot initially did well to scramble out of a tough position. Nevertheless, Salkilld did not give up.

Similar to how Gamrot lost to Charles Oliveira, the Polish star tapped out once Salkilld got the choke in the last minute of the first round. With the victory, the Aussie star issued a callout to all of the top 5 contenders of the lightweight division.

With free agent Usman Nurmagomedov likely to join the promotion, the UFC 155-pound division will once again be among prominent one yet again.

Salkilld has established himself as a very dangerous opponent for anyone with his well-rounded skillset and knockout power. As such, high-profile matchups could await him moving forward.

RELATED
Free Agent Usman Nurmagomedov’s ‘Special Abilities’ Praised By Legendary MMA Coach

Mateusz Gamrot underestimated the grappling skills of Quillan Salkilld ahead of UFC Vegas 120 matchup

Polish star Mateusz Gamrot made his UFC debut back in 2020, and has competed in 13 bouts so far. Lucrative matchups to enter the title picture was hard to come by for Gamrot in his UFC run. He has had two different winning streak in the promotion before losing it.

Mateusz Gamrot thought he had the advantage on the ground against Quillan Salkilld
Mateusz Gamrot thought he had the advantage on the ground against Quillan Salkilld (Image via MMA Fighting)

The first was when he lost to Beneil Dariush after having a four-fight winning streak, which included a win over Tsarukyan. The next time he had a winning streak, ‘Gamer’ lost to Dan Hooker by split decision. The toughest fight of his career came against Charles Oliveira, which lost via submission.

Having fought the top contenders at lightweight, Gamrot explained why he chose to fight a rising star like Salkilld.

For me, I like to be active you know. I like to fight with everybody you know… He’s a dangerous kid. He’s tall, young, he looks strong you know with heavy kick style. So I need to be careful on the feet, but I love him taking people down in the ground… This is gonna be a lot of scramble, a lot of action and I love when people try taking me to the ground so I can show much different skills and technique.

Mateusz Gamrot told the reporters

Salkilld hasn’t showed any hesitancy in shooting for takedowns in his UFC career. Even against a veteran like Dariush, the Aussie star tried to grapple him in the beginning rather than look for a knockout shot.

Some fans felt that Gamrot was a level ahead of everyone Salkilld fought so far. However, the rising star shot takedown on Gamrot as well and submitted him on the ground. He has shown no fear to engage in standup as well as grappling exchanges.

The Polish star thought he had the advantage on the ground, but Salkilld continues to surprise people with his skillset in every fight. Gamrot will need to establish a winning streak to get the title shot that he desires. Meanwhile, the future looks bright for Salkilld as a dark horse in the lightweight division.

Also Read: