UFC Fight Night: Gamrot vs. Salkilld Live Updates and Highlights

Tonight's UFC card at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas may not have looked particularly good on paper, but it turned out to be extremely entertaining, with a bunch of exciting finishes and a couple of big surprises.

Here are 3 big takeaways from the card:

Quillan Salkilld is Elite

Even before tonight's main event, there was a lot of reason to be intrigued about Australian lightweight Qullian Salkilld. After his stunning first-round submission of grappling specialist Mateusz Gamrot, however, it's clear that he is truly elite. This was an incredible performance from the Aussie, and it came over a world-class opponent. After the fact, he's wholly deserving of a fight with a top-5 foe, and if he continues to win, a title shot come happen sooner rather than later. After tonight, it seems like a real possibility.

Don't Sleep on Weak-Looking Cards

As aforementioned, tonight's UFC card in the Meta Apex didn't look particularly exciting on paper. There were just a handful of ranked fighters on the lineup, and many of the men and women on the bill were riding losses ahead of time. As is so often the case with these under-the-radar cards, though, it massively exceeded expectations. The event featured a dramatic main event, a ton of impressive finishes — and who could forget Carol Foro and Gigi Canuto's back-and-forth scrap in the very first fight of the night? That was awesome. It may not have been the kind of card that is going to shake up the rankings in multiple divisions, but it was a home run in terms of entertainment.

The Upgraded Meta Apex is a Huge Improvement

The UFC's events at the Meta Apex are generally much lower-profile than its numbered events at big arenas. Yet the main reason the promotion's shows at the Las Vegas venue have been criticized over the years is that it could only accommodate a couple of hundred fans in the best of circumstances. That resulted in a pretty dull atmosphere, and was particularly disappointing when the fights were good. So many fights in the building went down in total silence when they should have occurred in front of throngs of roaring fans. Thankfully, those days are over. The UFC recently renovated the building, and it now holds close to 2000 people. That's not exactly a huge crowd, but it was night and day compared to previous shows in the venue, which often sounded like they were happening in a library. Tonight, the fans in the building were loud, and it was awesome.

Most people saw tonight's main event going one of two days. Either Sallkild would win by knockout, or Gamrot would control the fight with his grappling, and perhaps win by submission.

Salkilld evidently didn't get the memo. After hurting his accomplished opponent with a punch early in round one, he surprised him with a deftly timed takedown. Once he had Gamrot on the mat, he took back position, and after a short struggle, tapped his opponent with a rear-naked choke. We've been seeing a lot of those tonight.

"That's just how I fight," he said in his post-fight interview. "I'm going to take it to you in all aspects. I'm going to use all the weapons in my arsenal.

"I can get it done in the first minute or the last minute."

This is an incredible win for Salkilld. If you need more convincing, consider this: he tapped Gamrot faster than submission wizard Charles Oliveira did last year.

In victory, he is now 13-1 overall, with four first-round finishes in a row. There's no more questioning his status as one of the division's very best fighters. From here, there will be nothing but massive challenges for him.

Gamrot is now 26-5, and has split wins and losses in his last six fights. His days as a top lightweight may be coming to an end.

We have reached the main event of the evening: a clash of top-ranked lightweight contenders in Mateusz Gamrot (26-4) and Quillan Salkilld (12-1).

Poland's Gamrot is definitely the more proven commodity here, having spent years near the top of the lightweight division, and beating fighters like Arman Tsarukyan, Rafael Fiziev, and Rafael dos Anjos. His most recent win was a second-round submission against Esteban Ribovics. 

Salkilld, from Australia, is the newcomer with something to prove. He's won 12-straight fights, and after a knockout of Beneil Dariush in his last appearance, is out to show he belongs among the sport's truly elite lightweights. 

Gamrot will be looking to take this one to the ground, while Salkilld will surely be looking for another KO. Whichever way it goes, it should be interesting. 

Last one of the night. Let's get to it.

Billy Quarantillo is still extremely tough, but he didn't have much to offer Diego Ferreira in Saturday's lightweight co-headliner. The Brazilian landed at will and with impact through the first round, arguably winning a 10-8. He slowed down a bit in the second and third, but remained in control of the fight for the most part, hammering his foe on the feet, and controlling him when the fight hit the mat.

With his unanimous decision win, Ferreira is now 20-7 overall. While his best days may be behind him, he looked great against Quarantillo — certainly great for a 42-year-old.

Of course, that may be a function of where Quarantillo is in his career. He's now 18-8, and has not won in just over three years. Her durability is impressive, and there are certainly a couple of decent options for him at lightweight going forward, but he seems to be nearing the end of his career. The truth is that he was a bit of a punching bag tonight...

It's time for our co-main event!

Like the main event, the co-headliner will go down at lightweight. In one corner, we'll have Billy Quarantillo (18-7), and in the other, Diego Ferreira (19-7). It's worth noting that those records are almost identical. That tells you a lot about this matchup. Both fighters have a ton of experience against high-level lightweights, and have had some very entertaining performances over the years.

Tonight, the former featherweight Quarantillo will look to rebound from a knockout loss to retired legend Cub Swanson all the way in 2024. That was his second loss in a row after a submission defeat to ranked featherweight contender Youssef Zalal. 

Ferreira is also riding two losses, having recently come up short against Grant Dawson and Alexander Hernandez by decision and knockout respectively. 

This one should be fun if both fighters are still close to their old form. To quote legendary MMA ref Dan Miragliotta, let's get it on. 

Despite his brutal loss to Yadier del Valle, Darren Elkins was given a post-fight interview to share a parting message with his supporters.

"I can't lose in life," he said. "I'm happy. "

He then thanked his coaches and wife for their support. 

"This has been a journey," he added. "16, almost 17 years. I never thought I'd still be doing it at 42…. Thank you to all my fans."

Cuba's Yadier del Valle didn't give Darren Elkins the storybook ending he wanted.

Early in the first round of their main card fight, the Cuban featherweight blasted his opponent with a blistering left hand. Elkins went right down, and the referee didn't wait for him to take more punishment.

35 seconds is all it took.

"A round of applause for Darren Elkins," a classy del Valle said in his post-fight interview.

In victory, the Cuban rebounds from a disappointing decision loss to Jordan Leavitt. He's now 11-1 overall.

For Elkins, this loss is a good indicator that his decision to retire is the correct one. He just doesn't have his legendary durability anymore. He rides off into the sunset with an overall record of 29-13, and more than 30 fights in the Octagon. While he didn't get the outcome he wanted, his legacy is already set in stone.

Long live "The Damage."

Darren Elkins (29-12) may not have ever gotten his hands on a UFC title, but "The Damage" has been part of some incredible fights since he joined the promotion way back in 2010. We're talking insane brawls, dramatic comebacks, and wild finishes. He's almost never failed to entertain, and has won the hearts of fans everywhere in the process. 

Tonight, the featherweight cult hero will make his final walk to the Octagon. His hope is to ride into the sunset with a big win, but his opponent will have other ideas.

He'll be taking on Cuba's Yadier Del Valle (10-1), who will be looking to bounce back from a decision loss to Jordan Leavitt in his last fight. 

Let's see how it goes for the retiring veteran.

Amanda Lemos was not without her moments in her main card fight with Alexia Thainara, but was ultimately outworked by her fellow Brazilian strawweight over three fun rounds that left both of them bloody.

All three judges scored this fight in favor of Thainara, who is now 4-0 in the UFC, and a very impressive 15-1 overall. She's not quite in title contention yet, but the division is hurting for new contenders right now, so another win or two should put her firmly in the conversation.

Lemos (15-7-1 ) has now lost three straight, which is not a huge surprise given that she's almost 40. While she remains skilled and is still very tough, she is clearly nearing the end of her impressive career.

Up next, we've got our final women's bout of the night, with Amanda Lemos (15-6-1) taking on Alexia Thainara (14-1) in an all-Brazil strawweight matchup. 

Lemos is a former title challenger, but is riding back-to-back losses at 39 years old. Thainara is a member of the new generation of strawweights, and has won her first three Octagon appearances after earning a UFC contract on Contender Series. She definitely has a ton of upside, but faces a tough veteran here. 

Let's see if she can pass this test. 

Ty Miller is the real deal.

In the first fight of Saturday's main card, the 26-year-old welterweight improved to 8-0 as a pro with an extremely impressive win over a tough Billy Ray Goff.

He was simply too slick for his opponent. Once he'd established his range, he was in total control, landing at will with stinging jabs and pinpoint boxing combinations.

By the beginning of round three, Goff's face was purple and swollen. His corner had clearly been worried between rounds, and it was evident the referee was watching him closely.

Just a few Miller punches later, and it was over.

This was a dazzling performance from Miller, somewhat reminiscent of what we've seen from Ilia Topuria in his best performances. His boxing just looked phenomenal.

The vanquished Goff is now 9-5, with losses in his last three Octagon appearances. He is tough as nails, but his time with the UFC may be over.

It's now time for our main card, and if the undercard was any indication, we're in for some fun fights.

First up, we've got a welterweight clash pitting Ty Miller (7-0) against Billy Ray Goff (9-4). 

Miller, a Contender Series product, made a huge statement by knocking out Adam Fugitt in his UFC debut early this year, and seems to have a ton of upside. Goff, also a Contender Series grad, has lost his last two UFC appearances after knocking out Yusaku Kinoshita in his debut. The stakes are definitely high for him. 

Over to you, Bruce Buffer. 

Steve Asplund and Guilherme Pat went toe-to-toe in tonight's featured prelim, trading knockdowns in rounds one and two, and battling in the clinch through most of round three, by which point they were both running on empty. In the end, though, all three judges scored it for Asplund.

With the unanimous decision win, Asplund rebounds from a loss to Vitor Petrino. He also probably won a few new fans with the effort he gave in the cage. He's now 8-2 overall.

Pat falls to 6-2 in defeat, with losses in his last two UFC appearances. That said, he looked fast and powerful against Asplund, and can definitely have some success if he fights smarter.

It's time for our final preliminary bout of the night. 

This one will be contested at heavyweight, with hard-charging American Steven Asplund (7-2) taking on Brazil's Guilherme Pat (6-1). 

Asplund is riding a decision loss to Vitor Petrino, while Pat was recently defeated by Thomas Petersen, also by decision. Both men will be looking to get back on track with a statement-making win, but only one will leave the Octagon happy.

Unfortunately, the UFC has almost 40 minutes to kill before moving onto the main card, so we're probably going to have to endure quite a bit of chatter before the action begins.

This card has been awesome so far.

The latest highlight came courtesy of Kazakhstan's Diyar Nurgozhay, who knocked out Brazil's Bruno Lopes in a wild sequence at light heavyweight.

Nurgozhay (12-2) first dropped his opponent with an un uppercut. While he failed to get an immediate finish, he kept the pressure on, and with 10 seconds left in the round, pushed the pedal to the floor. After stinging Lopes with another hard uppercut, he finished him off with a blistering left hook.

There was only one second left in the round.

In victory, the Kazakh is now on a two-fight win-streak. Not bad for a guy who lost his first two Octagon appearances.

Lopes (14-4) has now lost three straight. His time in the UFC is most likely over for now.

After some heavyweight action, we head down to light heavyweight for our next fight. 

In one corner, we'll have Kazakhstan's Diyar Nurgozhay (11-2) who recently rebounded from two UFC losses with a win over Rafael Tobias. His opponent will be Brazil's Bruno Lopes (14-3), who is riding back-to-back losses to elite fighters in Navajo Striling and Dustin Jacoby. 

Let's get to it. 

Brazil's Jose Montanha made quite a statement in his UFC debut, choking out his Scottish opponent Louie Sutherland inside a round. It was a rear-naked choke that sealed the deal. Amazingly, the Brazilian seemed to be releasing the submission at the very moment his opponent tapped.

In victory, Montanho is 7-1 as a pro, and 1-0 in the Octagon. He's definitely a fighter to watch at heavyweight. This division has been dying for new talent for year, and suddenly, it seems to have lots of it.

Sutherland is now back in the loss column after a win over Tai Tuivasa. Now 11-6, his future in the UFC is starting to look very uncertain.

It's time for some heavyweight action.

In this fight, Scotland's Louie Sutherland (11-5) will look to build on the momentum of a defeat of skidding Australian veteran Tai Tuivasa. His opponent will be Jose Montanha of Brazil, who sports a 6-1 pro record heading into his UFC debut. 

Heavyweight fights tend to either thrill or totally underwhelm. Let's see which way this one goes. 

During his post-fight interview, the victorious Manoel Sousa called for a scrap with Drew Dober.

Dober has a ton of Octagon experience, so this would definitely be a bit of a step up for the Brazilian, but that would be an awesome fight.

Why not?

Manoel Sousa is going to be a problem for a lot of UFC lightweights.

The Brazilian broke Richie Miranda down on Saturday's undercard, chopping his legs with kicks, and battering him with attacks to the body and head. Miranda hung in there admirably through all three rounds, and definitely had his moments, but by the time the fight was over, it was obvious which way the judges would go.

All three scored it for the Brazilian, who improves to 15-1 in his second UFC win. It's going to be a lot of fun to see how far he can get in this division. He's definitely got the power and cardio to make some waves.

Miranda is now 13-2 overall, and will have to take another crack at his first UFC win later.

Our next fight will be contested at lightweight, where prospects Manoel Sousa (14-1) and Richie Miranda (13-1) will collide. 

Sousa, a Bellator and PFL veteran, has only lost to recent PFL title challenger Archie Colgan. He knocked out Bolaji Oki in his UFC debut earlier this year, announcing himself as a talent to watch at 155 pounds. Miranda will be making his UFC debut, but is a two-time defending LFA champ. 

This one should be good.

After losses in his last three fights, Miles Johns needed a statement-making win on Saturday.

It's safe to say he got one.

The former LFA champ was throwing heat from the opening bell of his clash with Gianni Vazquez, and while he was actually the first one to get rattled by a punch, he promptly returned fire with a rocket-fuelled left hand that put his opponent down. A few follow-up punches later, and it was over.

"I belong in the UFC," he said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier.

In victory, Johns can definitely rest easy knowing his job with the UFC is safe. Vazquez is now 0-2 across two stints with the UFC, but he'll probably get another shot since he stepped up on such short notice.

This card has been delivering so far!

Next up, we've got a featherweight fight between Miles Johns (15-5) and Gianni Vazquez (14-5-1). 

Johns, who has lost three straight, was initially set to fight Jessie Rosas—the brother of Raul Rosas Jr. He shifted his attention to Vazquez when his original opponent was forced out of action with an injury.

Johns absolutely needs to win this if he wants to keep his spot on the UFC roster. Vazquez, who was briefly cut by the UFC earlier this year, has a chance to make a big statement in his return.

The action should begin in minutes.

Former Ultimate Fighter winner Juliana Miller looked awesome against Ravena Oliveira. In the second round of their flyweight fight, she took her opponent down, and soon after locking up a rear-naked choke, coaxed out the tap.

In victory, Miller takes her pro record above the .500 mark to 5-4. She's now split three wins and three losses in the UFC.

Oliveira is a tough 7-5 in defeat.

After Foro and Canuto's thrilling undercard opener, we've got some more women's MMA on deck, as Juliana Miller (4-4) takes on Ravena Oliveira (7-4-1) at flyweight.

San Diego's Miller has been hot and cold in the Octagon since winning a recent season of the Ultimate Fighter, with three losses and a pair of wins. Brazil's Oliveira, meanwhile, has failed to record a win in any of her first three UFC appearances.

Both women have their back to the wall in this one. Let's see who wants it more.

Carol Foro and Gigi Canuto kicked off Saturday's card in style, delivering an epic three-rounder inside the Meta Apex.

Round one definitely went to Foro, who had a clear edge on the feet. Round two, meanwhile, obviously went to Canuto, who wracked up over four minutes of control time after landing a takedown. Round three was very close, with Foro landing more on the feet, and Canuto threatening with takedowns and a deep armbar.

In the end, all three judges scored it for Foro, which is definitely the right move, despite Canuto's moments of success. She's now 10-1 overall, and 1-0 in the UFC.

Canuto is now 7-2, and will have to wait for her first UFC win. However, she showed some amazing skills and a ton of toughness in defeat. Her future is definitely very bright.

Our undercard action will be underway in about 5 minutes. First up in the newly-renovated Meta Apex, we'll have a strawweight clash between Gigi Canuto (7-1) and Carol Foro (9-1), both from Brazil.

Canuto will be making her UFC debut after being eliminated from the current season of The Ultimate Fighter. Foro, a Contender Series grad, was actually supposed to make her debut back in March. An injury derailed that plan, so she will make her first walk to the Octagon tonight.

We should be underway shortly.