Quillan Salkilld will add his name to the list of Australians to headline a UFC card this weekend when he takes on Mateusz Gamrot in Las Vegas.
It has been a great ride for the Aussie Lightweight so far and a win on Sunday would put him right in the mix for a title fight in the near future.
I have offered my thoughts on that fight, as well as three others below in my expert UFC Fight Night preview and MMA best bets.
Born in Pinjarra, Western Australia, Quillan Salkilld is a 26-year-old is a BJJ black belt who made his debut in the UFC in 2025 with a first round knockout win in Sydney at UFC 312.
He has won all five of his fights in the biggest MMA promotion in the sport which includes four first round finishes.
Suffering defeat only once in his pro MMA career (his first), he enters this fight as the number nine ranked Lightweight in the UFC.
Nine years his senior is his opponent Mateusz Gamrot who is ranked six in the division and after two losses in his last four fights, he is playing gatekeeper in this main event.
He bounced back from a submission loss to Charles Oliveira in 2025 with a submission win of his own four months ago and he is looking to put himself back into title contention.
Salkilld represents a new breed of mixed martial artist in the sport thanks to a well-rounded fighting style and while he continues to knock his opponents out he is more than capable of submitting his opponents should the fight go to the canvas.
He’s not an easy guy to wrestle as his takedown defence is superb and he has all the attributes to compete at the top end of the sport.
Make no mistake that this is his toughest test to date but let’s back him to get the job done.
- Prediction: Quillan Salkilld To Win @ $1.67
Another beauty of a fight takes place in the Lightweight division as the co main event at the Apex on Sunday.
Like a zombie, Diego Ferreira continues to compete at the highest level at 41 years of age.
He made his UFC debut in 2014 and has wins over Anthony Pettis and Michael Johnson although he has lost five of his last seven.
Billy Quarantillo is just four years younger than his opponent and his recent record doesn’t look much better.
Three wins in his last eight fights also means that his days in the UFC may be numbered but both of these men are capable of a finish and will be desperate to prove they can still finish their opponents.
- Prediction: Fight To Finish In KO/TKO @ $1.78
Amanda Lemos fought for the Women’s Strawweight Championship in 2023 but lost a unanimous decision to Weili Zhang across five rounds.
Since then, she has won just two of her next five fights and all but one has gone to a decision.
Alexia Thainara comes into the biggest fight of her career on a 12-fight win streak of which eight have been via submission.
She made her UFC debut against Molly McCann in March 2025 and won that fight by first round submission and has won her last two by decision.
The rising star has landed averages 4.5 takedowns per fight and is yet to be taken down herself and that will no doubt be the gameplan again against an opponent who will do little to stop it.
- Prediction: Alexia Thainara To Win By Submission @ $5.00