Quillan Salkilld has made a massive statement at UFC Vegas 120 in Las Vegas. The Australian lightweight contender impressed by finishing the established Mateusz Gamrot via rear-naked choke submission in the first round. His fifth first-round finish in the UFC.
Although Salkilld entered the bout as the betting favorite, he faced the toughest test of his career in Gamrot. Gamrot was coming off a victory against Esteban Ribovics, which followed a historic submission loss to Charles Oliveira, the first time the Polish fighter had ever been finished in that manner. Ultimately, Salkilld rose to the challenge, becoming only the second man in history to stop Gamrot.
A Massive Statement
Salkilld started the fight very strong. He was able to stop Gamrot’s takedown and got into a good position. Gamrot scrambled out of it and went for a leg lock. Salkilld came out of it and was able to stand up. The Australian fighter went surprisingly for a takedown and was able to get Gamrot’s back again.
This time, he got in the hooks and sank in the rear-naked choke. Gamrot tried to fight out of it but had to tap. A massive statement by Salkilld, finishing one of the most established fighters in the lightweight division.
Entertaining For Fifteen Minutes
In a fight between two longtime UFC veterans, Diego Ferreira won after three rounds against Billy Quarantillo. Ferreira picked his shots with lots of counterstriking. Definitely, in the first round, he overpowered the American fighter many times with some hard punches to the head.
Quarantillo kept pressuring the Brazilian fighter but absorbed way too many strikes. In the second round, Ferreira slowed down a little bit but was still able to land the harder strikes. In the third round, Quarantillo kept pushing forward but wasn’t able to pull off a finish. Ferreira won all three rounds on the judges’ scorecards to earn a unanimous decision.
The Final Dance
Darren Elkins announced before his fight against Yadier del Valle that it would be the final fight of his career. The 42-year-old fought his 31st and final fight in the Octagon tonight. Unfortunately for Elkins, the fight didn’t go as he had hoped.
Del Valle knocked down Elkins with a hard punch within the first 35 seconds of the fight. Elkins was saved by referee Kerry Hatley from further damage. After the fight, Elkins put his gloves in the middle of the Octagon and thanked his loved ones and fans for always being supportive of his career.
An Impressive Debut
José Montanha made his UFC debut tonight against Louie Sutherland. The Brazilian fighter looked very solid in the fight. He was able to get the Englishman to the ground and tried to get his back. After taking his back, he flattened Sutherland out on the ground.
Sutherland tried to get back up, but Montanha locked in the neck crank submission. The English fighter tapped pretty much immediately. A very solid and impressive debut by the Brazilian fighter who hopes to get a step up in competition in the near future.
Full Results UFC Vegas 120
Main Card
- Quillan Salkilld def. Mateusz Gamrot via submission (rear-naked choke) – R1, 4:25.
- Diego Ferreira def. Billy Quarantillo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Yadier del Valle def. Darren Elkins via TKO (punch) – R1, 0:35.
- Alexia Thainara def. Amanda Lemos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
- Ty Miller def. Billy Ray Goff via TKO (punch) – R3, 0:15.
Preliminary Card
- Steven Asplund def. Guilherme Pat via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
- Diyar Nurgozhay def. Bruno Lopes via TKO (punches) – R1, 4:59.
- José Montanha vs. Louie Sutherland via submission (neck crank) – R1, 1:50.
- Manoel Sousa def. Richie Miranda via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
- Miles Johns def. Gianni Vazquez via TKO (punches) – R1, 3:09.
- Juliana Miller def. Ravena Oliveira via submission (rear-naked choke) – R2, 1:38.
- Carol Foro def. Gigi Canuto via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Full bonuses were also announced after the fights.
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