Salkilld On Gamrot Call-Out After Dariush KO

Quillan Salkilld is taking the hardest road possible to a lightweight title shot.

The Australian prospect faces Mateusz Gamrot in his first UFC main event at UFC Vegas 120 on Saturday at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Salkilld called out Gamrot immediately after knocking out Beneil Dariush in his last outing, and the matchmakers delivered. As MMA Mania reports, the 26-year-old told media day attendees he wanted the toughest available test at No. 8 in the rankings — not a soft touch to pad his record.

Why Salkilld Chose Gamrot Over Easier Options

Salkilld was blunt about his reasoning. He wanted an opponent who would force the division to take him seriously. "I'm not looking to cherry-pick my way up to the top of the division," he said. "I want hard fights. I want someone who is going to put a lot of respect on my name when I beat them." He added that calling out easier competition would compromise his own view of himself.

Gamrot has lost only to elite competition in the UFC — Charles Oliveira, a split decision to Dan Hooker, Dariush before his recent slide, and a controversial split to Guram Kutateladze in his promotional debut. He owns a win over Arman Tsarukyan and has stopped two rising prospects in his last three appearances. Salkilld acknowledged he pictured this fight years ago, before either man reached the UFC stage. The timing, he said, was finally right.

Salkilld believes his ability to threaten finishes in every phase will neutralize Gamrot's wrestling-heavy approach. He enters as a slight betting favorite at -115. The winner likely cracks the top ten and moves within range of a title eliminator by year's end.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — UFC Vegas 120’s Quillan Salkilld not ‘trying to cherry-pick’ opponents to get to title – ‘That would make me a p—sy’