LAS VEGAS – Quillan Salkilld wants his rise to the top to be as legitimate as possible, which is why he's fighting Mateusz Gamrot this weekend.
Gamrot (26-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) is considered one of the toughest matchups in the UFC's lightweight division, which is why few challenge him to a fight. What keeps many from speaking Gamrot's name is the same reason why Salkilld (12-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) asked the UFC to fight him. The Australian sees a difficult challenge ahead, and he's happy the UFC honored his request by matching them up in the main event of Saturday's UFC Fight Night 284 (Paramount+).
"I called for it in my last fight, and I'm glad they gave it to me," Salkilld told MMA Junkie and other media at Wednesday's UFC Fight Night 284. "He's a super
tough fighter, no picnic for anyone, and that's exactly why I wanted the fight. I'm not looking to cherry-pick my way to the top of the division. I want hard fights. I want someone who's going to put a lot of respect on my name when I win against him."
Salkilld has kept his eye on Gamrot for quite some time. In fact, this was a matchup he envisioned himself having even in his younger days.
"I've been wanting to fight him for a long time, for ages," Salkilld said. "He's someone who's respected, and he's always someone I've envisioned fighting, ever since I was coming up through the pro ranks. He's always someone I've pictured in fighting and a fun test to go up against. That's exactly why I called him out. The timing was right. There was a few other lightweights that were matched up, and he was coming off a win a few weeks before that, so at the time it just made sense to me. Yeah, he's tough. I'm not going to call anyone out who I think is going to be easy. That would make me a p*ssy. I want to call for the hard fights."
This bout with Gamrot marks Salkilld's first UFC main event. He debuted in the UFC in early 2025, and has since risen through the ranks very quickly. He's picked up five straight wins, with his most recent one being a first-round TKO over veteran Beneil Dariush.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC's Quillan Salkilld not looking to 'cherry-pick,' wanted Mateusz Gamrot
