Quillan Salkilld Makes Massive Statement at UFC Vegas 120; Full Fight-by-Fight Recap
By Brian Hradsky | Maryland Sports Blog – MSB Fight Club
Quillan Salkilld entered Saturday night looking for the biggest victory of his young UFC career. He left the Meta APEX having done something very few fighters have been able to do to Mateusz Gamrot: beat the Polish lightweight at his own game.
Salkilld submitted Gamrot with a rear-naked choke at 4:25 of the first round in the main event of UFC Vegas 120, also known as UFC Fight Night 284, on Saturday, Aug. 8, in Las Vegas. The victory improved Salkilld to 13-1 professionally and extended his winning streak to 13 fights. More importantly, it transformed the 26-year-old Australian from an exciting prospect into a legitimate threat near the top of the UFC lightweight division.
The evening featured 12 fights, seven finishes and several important divisional developments. Ty Miller remained unbeaten with a dominant stoppage of Billy Goff, Alexia Thainara earned the biggest victory of her career against Amanda Lemos, Yadier Del Valle spoiled Darren Elkins’ farewell fight in just 35 seconds, and Diego Ferreira turned back Billy Quarantillo in an entertaining co-main event.
The UFC awarded $100,000 Performance of the Night bonuses to Salkilld and Ty Miller, while Ferreira and Quarantillo earned Fight of the Night honors and $100,000 apiece. Miles Johns, Juliana Miller, Jose Luiz “Montanha” da Silva, Diyar Nurgozhay and Del Valle received $25,000 bonuses for their finishes.
Here is the complete MSB Fight Club breakdown.
Quillan Salkilld submits Mateusz Gamrot
Lightweight Main Event — Salkilld wins by rear-naked choke, Round 1, 4:25
This was supposed to be the moment when Salkilld discovered just how difficult life becomes near the top of the UFC lightweight rankings.
Instead, Gamrot discovered how dangerous Salkilld already is.
Gamrot entered with years of experience against elite opposition and one of the deepest wrestling games in the lightweight division. That made what happened particularly impressive. Salkilld did not merely survive Gamrot’s grappling. He attacked him in essentially every phase of the fight.
Salkilld began with a jab and low kick while Gamrot attempted to establish his right hand. A sharp Salkilld jab appeared to stun Gamrot early, prompting the Polish veteran to immediately change levels and attack a single-leg takedown. Salkilld remained standing and answered with short punches and shoulder strikes.
Gamrot then rolled underneath into a dangerous leg-lock sequence and attacked a heel hook. That could have been the point where an inexperienced contender panicked. Salkilld remained composed, escaped and immediately turned the scramble into offense.
The Australian got behind Gamrot and attacked with punches. After Gamrot worked free, Salkilld landed another combination before shooting for his own takedown. That sequence may have been the most eye-opening portion of the entire event.
Salkilld took Gamrot down.
He then grapevined the legs, transitioned to Gamrot’s back and established a body triangle. Gamrot initially managed to shake him off, but Salkilld never lost contact. He followed the scramble, threatened the neck, adjusted his grip and locked in the rear-naked choke.
Gamrot tapped at 4:25.
It was a remarkable performance because Salkilld eliminated nearly every potential question surrounding him in less than five minutes. Could he handle an elite wrestler? Yes. Could he survive a dangerous submission scramble? Yes. Could he take down a fighter known for wrestling? Yes. Could he finish an elite opponent? Absolutely.
Salkilld is now 6-0 in the UFC and has won 13 consecutive fights overall. Gamrot had only been submitted once previously in his professional MMA career before Saturday.
There is one concern coming out of the performance. Salkilld revealed afterward that he heard his knee “pop” during Gamrot’s leg-lock attack. He said the knee became sore during the fight and planned to have it evaluated before committing to his next appearance. Salkilld nevertheless expressed interest in fighting at Madison Square Garden later this year if healthy.
MSB Fight Club Take: This was not simply a prospect beating a veteran. Salkilld defeated one of the division’s premier grapplers by submission after out-scrambling him. He deserves an elite lightweight next.
Diego Ferreira defeats Billy Quarantillo
Lightweight Co-Main Event — Ferreira wins by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27
Diego Ferreira may be 41 years old, but his performance against Billy Quarantillo showed that the Brazilian remains an extremely difficult fight for anyone outside the lightweight elite.
Quarantillo started aggressively, landing a right hand and left before attempting to pressure Ferreira. Ferreira quickly settled into his rhythm and began attacking with front kicks, combinations and knees.
His hand speed became a major factor. Ferreira routinely beat Quarantillo to the target with crisp two- and three-punch combinations before circling out of danger.
Midway through the opening round, Ferreira changed levels and completed a takedown. From half guard, he landed elbows and punches while keeping Quarantillo pinned. Quarantillo eventually returned to his feet, but Ferreira had clearly controlled the majority of the round.
Quarantillo did what Quarantillo always does in the second round: he kept coming.
He pressured, attacked with hooks and attempted to make the fight ugly. Ferreira refused to allow it. He consistently landed the cleaner combinations and mixed in another takedown while repeatedly attacking Quarantillo’s body.
The third round became much more competitive.
Quarantillo secured a takedown, but Ferreira quickly reversed position, took the back and moved into mount. Quarantillo escaped and finished the fight strongly, forcing Ferreira onto the mat and landing ground-and-pound during the closing stretch.
All three judges surprisingly scored every round for Ferreira, 30-27.
The bout received Fight of the Night, earning both fighters $100,000 bonuses.
MSB Fight Club Take: Ferreira remains one of the UFC’s ultimate veteran gatekeepers. Quarantillo pushed an exhausting pace, but Ferreira’s cleaner boxing, defensive wrestling and positional grappling won the fight.
Yadier Del Valle knocks out Darren Elkins
Featherweight — Del Valle wins by TKO, Round 1, 0:35
Darren Elkins built his reputation by surviving situations that would have stopped almost anyone else.
His final UFC fight did not provide another comeback.
Del Valle needed only 35 seconds to stop the longtime featherweight veteran.
Elkins attempted an early takedown, but Del Valle sprawled and forced the fight back to the feet. Del Valle then backed Elkins up with a left hook before throwing another left hand with considerably more force.
Elkins collapsed backward and referee Kerry Hatley immediately stopped the fight.
The loss brought a difficult conclusion to one of the longest and toughest careers in UFC history.
Elkins, 42, officially retired afterward with a professional record of 29-13 and a UFC record of 19-12. His UFC run spanned roughly 16 years and 31 Octagon appearances.
“The Damage” was never defined by championship belts. He was defined by perseverance. Few fighters in the history of the promotion absorbed adversity and continued fighting quite like Elkins.
For Del Valle, however, this was a major highlight. Knocking out an opponent with Elkins’ durability in 35 seconds will draw attention.
MSB Fight Club Take: A rough ending for Elkins, but one result does not define his career. For Del Valle, this was exactly the kind of violent finish that can accelerate a fighter’s progression in a crowded featherweight division.
Alexia Thainara defeats Amanda Lemos
Women’s Strawweight — Thainara wins by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27
Alexia Thainara entered against one of the most dangerous punchers in the women’s strawweight division and delivered the biggest victory of her career.
Amanda Lemos remained dangerous throughout the fight, but Thainara’s clinch work proved decisive.
The opening round featured competitive striking before Thainara began consistently forcing Lemos against the fence. From there, she attacked the legs and body with knees while mixing in short punches.
An accidental low blow temporarily stopped the action, but Thainara returned to her clinch-heavy strategy after the restart. She closed the round controlling Lemos against the fence and repeatedly landing knees.
Lemos had her best moments in the second.
She landed several heavy overhand rights and visibly hurt Thainara during one exchange. Thainara’s response was intelligent: rather than remaining in a firefight with one of the division’s hardest hitters, she immediately clinched and smothered Lemos’ offense.
Lemos eventually broke free and landed additional strikes, but Thainara secured a late takedown.
The third round belonged to Thainara.
She attacked with leg kicks, combinations and another clinch sequence before eventually dumping Lemos to the canvas and landing hammerfists. Lemos rallied with right hands in the final minute, but she had fallen too far behind.
The judges awarded Thainara the unanimous decision.
MSB Fight Club Take: Thainara demonstrated tremendous maturity. She did not allow herself to get baited into a prolonged boxing match with Lemos. She identified her advantage in the clinch, repeatedly returned to it and earned a career-changing victory.
Ty Miller stops Billy Goff
Welterweight — Miller wins by TKO, Round 3, 0:15
Ty Miller looked like a serious welterweight prospect Saturday night.
Goff attempted to turn the fight into a grinding clinch battle early, pressing Miller against the fence and attacking with knees and short punches.
Miller eventually separated and began finding his range with the jab. He also landed a head kick and defended Goff’s takedown attempts before ending the first round with combinations.
Round two was where the fight became one-sided.
Miller repeatedly landed the jab and straight right, then dropped Goff with a one-two. Goff somehow survived the follow-up barrage, but Miller continued attacking with elbows, uppercuts, body shots and combinations.
Goff spent much of the closing portion of the round attempting simply to survive.
One Sherdog scorer gave Miller a 10-8 round.
Goff’s survival only delayed the inevitable.
Fifteen seconds into Round 3, Miller landed another straight right that sent Goff stumbling backward into the fence. Miller swarmed with punches and referee Jason Herzog stopped the fight.
Miller remained undefeated and earned a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
MSB Fight Club Take: Miller showed patience, power and excellent shot selection. The most encouraging part may have been his takedown defense. Goff attempted to drag him into a grinding fight, but Miller repeatedly disengaged and returned to his striking.
Preliminary Card
Steve Asplund defeats Guilherme Pat
Heavyweight — Asplund wins by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28
Heavyweight fights do not always need spectacular knockouts to be entertaining.
Asplund and Pat instead produced a gritty three-round battle.
Asplund controlled much of the opening round in the clinch before landing a huge right hand that dropped Pat late. Asplund followed with elbows and hammerfists from side control, but Pat survived.
Pat responded in Round 2 by dropping Asplund with an overhand right. Both men began showing damage, and Pat found success with hooks and leg kicks while Asplund continued attacking with knees and elbows from the clinch.
The third round was exhausting.
Asplund landed a head kick and attempted a standing guillotine before returning to his clinch game. Pat’s left eye became badly swollen as Asplund continued landing elbows and short punches.
All three judges scored it 29-28 for Asplund.
MSB Fight Club Take: Not pretty, but effective. Asplund survived adversity and showed enough conditioning to maintain pressure deep into a heavyweight fight.
Diyar Nurgozhay stops Bruno Lopes
Light Heavyweight — Nurgozhay wins by TKO, Round 1, 4:59
Nurgozhay literally beat the first-round bell.
The Kazakhstan light heavyweight attacked Lopes’ legs almost immediately and spent much of the round systematically damaging both legs with kicks.
Lopes struggled to establish his offense while Nurgozhay mixed straight lefts, body attacks and kicks.
Late in the round, Nurgozhay landed an overhand left that dropped Lopes.
Lopes somehow recovered and even completed a takedown, but Nurgozhay immediately scrambled back to his feet.
He charged forward behind an uppercut and then dropped Lopes again with a left hook.
Referee Kerry Hatley stopped the fight at 4:59 of the first round — one second before the horn.
MSB Fight Club Take: One of the best finishes on the card. Nurgozhay’s low kicks created openings for his boxing, and he stayed composed when Lopes briefly recovered.
Jose Luiz “Montanha” da Silva submits Louie Sutherland
Heavyweight — Luiz wins by submission, Round 1, 1:50
Heavyweight Jose Luiz “Montanha” da Silva made quick work of Louie Sutherland.
Sutherland started aggressively with leg kicks and an overhand right before initiating the clinch.
That turned out to be a mistake.
Luiz landed an elbow, completed a trip takedown and moved into side control. Sutherland returned to his feet only to be taken down again.
This time Luiz took the back, flattened Sutherland out and attacked the neck.
Sutherland tapped at 1:50 of the opening round. Sherdog officially listed the technique as a neck crank, while other results listings characterized the finish as a rear-naked choke.
MSB Fight Club Take: Heavyweights who can grapple are always dangerous. Luiz did not waste energy chasing a knockout and immediately exploited his advantage on the ground.
Manoel Sousa defeats Richie Miranda
Lightweight — Sousa wins by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28
Richie Miranda appeared to be on his way toward an impressive UFC debut after the first round.
Miranda secured a takedown, moved behind Sousa, flattened him out and attacked with punches and hammerfists. He eventually reached mount and landed additional elbows.
Sousa survived, and that changed everything.
Starting in Round 2, Sousa repeatedly attacked Miranda’s lead leg. The damage became so significant that Miranda began switching stances.
Sousa then layered punches behind the kicks, landing an overhand right and a damaging left hook to the body.
The final round became a close striking and clinch battle, but Sousa continued targeting the compromised legs while defending Miranda’s takedown attempts.
All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Sousa.
MSB Fight Club Take: Excellent mid-fight adjustment by Sousa. Miranda’s first-round grappling was dominant, but Sousa identified the damaged leg and built his entire comeback around it.
Miles Johns stops Gianni Vazquez
Featherweight — Johns wins by TKO, Round 1, 3:09
This fight featured one of the quickest momentum swings of the night.
Vazquez started well and landed several low kicks while Johns attempted to establish his boxing.
Then Vazquez landed a counter right hook that dropped Johns to a knee.
Instead of panicking, Johns immediately fired back.
He caught Vazquez with a left hook that put Vazquez on the canvas and followed with standing-to-ground punches until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight at 3:09.
MSB Fight Club Take: A classic example of why fighters cannot relax after hurting an opponent. Vazquez appeared to have Johns in trouble and seconds later found himself being finished.
Juliana Miller submits Ravena Oliveira
Women’s Flyweight — Miller wins by rear-naked choke, Round 2, 1:38
Juliana Miller desperately needed a strong performance and delivered one.
Oliveira started the fight using her jab and leg kicks, but Miller eventually closed the distance and forced her into the clinch.
Miller attacked with knees before securing a takedown with roughly 90 seconds remaining in Round 1.
From there, she dominated.
Miller passed into side control, attacked with elbows and punches and repeatedly advanced position.
The second round followed the same pattern.
Miller completed another takedown, moved into side control and unloaded elbows. When Oliveira turned to all fours, Miller immediately took the back.
She secured a hook, locked her hands around Oliveira’s neck and forced the tap at 1:38.
MSB Fight Club Take: This looked much more like the version of Miller who won The Ultimate Fighter. Her pressure and grappling completely overwhelmed Oliveira once the fight hit the mat.
Carol Foro defeats Giovanna Canuto
Women’s Strawweight — Foro wins by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28
The opening fight of UFC Vegas 120 was extremely competitive.
Foro established herself as the better striker in Round 1, landing low kicks, jabs and left hooks while repeatedly attacking Canuto’s body.
Canuto changed the fight in Round 2.
She secured a takedown, moved to Foro’s back and established a body triangle. Canuto threatened the neck while landing punches and hammerfists and later transitioned toward a kimura attempt.
That left the fight tied entering Round 3.
Canuto continued looking for takedowns, but Foro did a much better job scrambling back to her feet and landing strikes whenever the action returned to standing.
Canuto nearly stole the round late with an armbar attempt after another takedown, but Foro escaped and finished the fight landing punches.
All three judges scored it 29-28 for Foro.
MSB Fight Club Take: Foro passed a difficult test. Canuto’s grappling created serious problems, but Foro’s striking advantage and ability to escape bad positions made the difference.
MSB Fight Club Awards
Fighter of the Night: Quillan Salkilld
There is no debate.
Submitting Mateusz Gamrot is impressive under any circumstances. Doing it after defending his wrestling, escaping a leg lock, taking Gamrot down and winning multiple scrambles makes it one of the most significant performances by a rising lightweight this year.
Breakout Performance: Ty Miller
Miller did not merely beat Goff. He systematically dismantled him.
His jab, straight right, head kicks and takedown defense all looked UFC-ready. Remaining undefeated while adding a dominant stoppage against an experienced opponent makes Miller a welterweight worth watching.
Knockout of the Night: Yadier Del Valle
Stopping Darren Elkins in 35 seconds says something.
Elkins built an entire career around refusing to go away. Del Valle never gave him an opportunity to turn the fight into one of his trademark wars.
Fight of the Night: Diego Ferreira vs. Billy Quarantillo
The UFC agreed.
Ferreira controlled the technical exchanges, while Quarantillo continued applying pressure until the final horn. The third round produced several grappling reversals and a late Quarantillo surge that made Ferreira work until the very end.
Final Thoughts
UFC Vegas 120 may ultimately be remembered as the night Quillan Salkilld announced himself as a genuine championship-level lightweight.
Gamrot represented exactly the type of opponent who has historically separated promising prospects from legitimate contenders. He possesses elite wrestling, outstanding scrambling ability, years of UFC experience and victories over high-level opposition.
Salkilld did not squeak past that test.
He dominated it.
The lightweight division is already one of the deepest divisions in combat sports, so Salkilld still has substantial work ahead. But after Saturday, the question is no longer whether he belongs with ranked UFC lightweights.
The question is how high he can climb.
His immediate future may depend on the condition of the knee he said was injured during Gamrot’s leg-lock attack. Assuming the injury is not serious, Salkilld has made it clear he wants another major opportunity before the end of the year.
Thainara also deserves considerable attention after solving the dangerous Lemos, while Miller may have been the second-biggest winner on the card. Del Valle gained a memorable knockout at the expense of a respected veteran, Ferreira proved age has not eliminated his ability to compete at a high level, and Nurgozhay produced one of the night’s most dramatic finishes with one second remaining in the opening round.
UFC Vegas 120 delivered seven finishes across 12 fights and set the table for an even bigger event next weekend.
The UFC returns Saturday, Aug. 15, with UFC 330 in Philadelphia, headlined by Islam Makhachev against Ian Machado Garry.
For Salkilld, however, Saturday night may have represented the beginning of something much bigger.
MSB Fight Club will continue following the UFC lightweight division and all major combat sports news throughout the year.
