Salkilld Confirms He's Down For Saint-Denis At MSG

Quillan Salkilld wants Benoit Saint-Denis at Madison Square Garden in November.

The Australian lightweight told MMA Mania after his first-round stoppage of Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Vegas 120 that he would take the Frenchman on the promotion's annual MSG card. When asked to choose between Saint-Denis and the loser of the upcoming Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy fight, Salkilld leaned toward the former. "I think BSD is good because obviously his fight was not too long ago, and he didn't really take any damage from that one, so he's probably back in the gym ready to go," he said, per the outlet. "So, I'll say that because that seems like a more sure thing that could happen. I'm down."

Why Saint-Denis Makes Sense For Salkilld's November Return

Salkilld became the first fighter to finish Gamrot in the opening frame on Saturday night, pushing his UFC record to 6-0 with five first-round stoppages. Saint-Denis is coming off a 52-second knockout loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 329 last month, a brutal result but one that left him relatively undamaged. The Frenchman had won four straight before that setback.

The 26-year-old Salkilld told reporters he wants whoever gets him into the top five. He should jump Gamrot in the lightweight rankings this week and is now knocking on the door of the division's elite. Saint-Denis sits at No. 6.

UFC has not announced a lightweight bout for the November MSG card.

Photo: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Original reporting:

• mmamania.com — Quillan Salkilld Wants Benoit Saint-Denis At MSG | MMA Mania