Gamrot Faces Longer Title Road After Salkilld Submission

Mateusz Gamrot's path to a lightweight title shot grew steeper after Quillan Salkilld submitted him in the UFC Vegas 120 headliner Saturday night.

Gamrot entered the Meta Apex bout ranked sixth at 155 pounds and riding momentum from his second-round submission of Esteban Ribovics at UFC 327, per MMA Mania. The Polish veteran hoped a win over the surging Australian would crack the top five and return him to title contention. Instead, Salkilld tagged him early, dragged the fight to the mat, and locked in a rear-naked choke to extend his win streak to thirteen fights. The finish positions Salkilld for a title eliminator and sends Gamrot sliding down the rankings.

Fiziev Rematch Could Make Sense for Gamrot

At 35, Gamrot now sits 3-3 in his last six and faces a younger, deeper lightweight pool than when he first climbed the ladder. A return fight with Rafael Fiziev — who stopped Gamrot via second-round TKO three years ago when Fiziev's knee buckled — could serve both men. Fiziev has gone 2-2 since that win, most recently beating Manuel Torres, and neither fighter has separated himself in the division's traffic jam. A proper finish between them would answer questions the first meeting left open.

Gamrot still possesses the scrambles and mat craft to compete at the top, but the Salkilld loss cost him time he cannot reclaim. His next opponent will determine whether he can mount another run or settles into gatekeeper duty at lightweight.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Monday Morning Hangover: What’s next for Mateusz Gamrot after submission loss at UFC Vegas 120?