Quillan Salkilld continued his charge up the UFC lightweight ladder on home soil.
The 26-year-old Australian was one of the local stars in action at UFC Perth, as the leading mixed martial arts promotion staged another event at the RAC Arena.
Before the city’s own Jack Della Maddalena headlined against Carlos Prates, Salkilld had his biggest fight to date against veteran contender Beneil Dariush.
After four wins to start his Octagon life in the perfect fashion, Salkilld continued to make a splash by comfortably dispatching the No. 12-ranked lightweight.
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After his UFC Perth victory, is Quillan Salkilld the most promising up-and-comer in the promotion?
Quillan Salkilld finishes Beneil Dariush in under 4 minutes at UFC Perth
Salkilld had already established himself as one of Oceania’s top prospects, having submitted fellow Australian Jamie Mullarkey last time out.
The 26-year-old Australian is 12-1 in professional MMA and has not tasted defeat since his 2021 debut. That positive run continued on Saturday at the expense of Dariush.
The ranked contender enjoyed a strong start in Saturday’s co-main event, as he dropped Salkilld with a jab in the opening exchanges.
He subsequently employed his grappling to control his Australian rival but was unable to take the fight to the ground. When he looked to force the issue, Salkilld countered with some powerful shots that tested Dariush’s previously compromised chin.
The veteran was unable to recover and was finished with strikes after being knocked down by a brutal right hand. The knockout stoppage came just three minutes and 29 seconds into the fight.
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The UFC Perth winner was also responsible for one of the most brutal knockouts of last year. Salkilld left Nasrat Haqparast unconscious for minutes with a devastating finish at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi.
Dariush, meanwhile, was also stopped by strikes against Saint-Denis, Arman Tsarukyan, and Charles Oliveira in the past few years.
The 36-year-old experienced a brief break from his losing form when he outpointed Renato Moicano at UFC 317 last June.
Many had urged Dariush to retire after he was KO’d in just 16 seconds by Saint-Denis last November, and those calls are likely to re-emerge after another setback in Australia.
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