From Skate Parks To UFC Cage: Quillan Salkilld's All-In Drive To 'Get The Belt, Get Super Rich' | Exclusive

Last Updated:May 01, 2026, 12:45 IST

From a 19-second finish on UFC debut to now facing veteran Beneil Dariush, Quillan Salkilld reflects on mindset, growth, and his all-in approach.

Quillan Salkilld first stepped into professional MMA over five years ago, and the road since has been defined by steady evolution rather than instant breakthrough. After an early setback against Pablo in his debut, Salkilld has rebuilt himself into a far more composed, versatile fighter – culminating in a strikingly fast 19-second finish on his UFC debut that signalled just how far his game has come.

The Australian talks less about chasing outcomes and more about staying present – reacting, reading, and letting his training take over. That shift, he believes, came with maturity: a move away from forcing wins in his head and toward trusting the process in real time.

However, before MMA, Salkilld’s world was quite different. He grew up immersed in skating and Australian rules football and chased whatever he committed to with full intensity. That same ‘all-in’ mentality eventually carried into MMA, a sport he was drawn to not through a single defining moment, but through a gradual pull toward something more individual, more demanding, and more aligned with his work ethic.

Salkilld, who competes in lightweight which is one of the UFC’s most stacked divisions, opens up on his career, ambitions and upcoming clash with the experienced Beneil Dariush.

EXCERPTS

It’s been over five years since your professional debut. That first loss has since turned into an impressive run, including a 19-second finish on your UFC debut. When you look back at that first fight against Pablo, how do you assess it now – not just in terms of skill, but in mindset and your overall approach to the sport?

Well, what I’ve shifted from in terms of my performance side, which changed a bit since my first fight, was more not being fixated on the outcome when I fight. When I fight, I’m just focused on the moment and what’s in front of me instead of being in the fight and thinking I’ve got to win, got to win, got to win. Because I think that just takes away time in terms of the technical side.

I’m not thinking about what my opponent’s doing in front of me, what I need to do in order to get the win. I’m just thinking the outcome opposed to the actual method of getting that. So that’s what I’ve shifted away from as I’ve matured in my career. I just fight clearer. And with that first fight, I haven’t even watched it back still to this day. I’ve just decided to forget about it. I know what I did wrong, I know my errors in that one, and I decided to learn from it and move on. Forget about it in my mind. And yeah, that’s what I’ve changed in my progression.

Before MMA, you were into skating and Australian rules football – two very different worlds from fighting. What kind of person were you back then, and what first drew you towards MMA? Was there a defining moment when it shifted from just an interest to something you wanted to pursue seriously, or was it more influenced by coaches, your environment, or something internal?

Yeah, well, I’ve always been the same in terms of my ambition. I’ve always been an ambitious person. Whenever I get into something, I want to go all in and make it everything about whatever I get into. So when I was into skateboarding, I was all in. The goal was to become a professional skateboarder, get sponsored, make cool skate videos and live that lifestyle.

I was kind of playing footy at the time, then I moved more into wanting to play football. I’ve always understood that I like hard work. I’ve never been naturally talented at those things, skateboarding and footy. It’s things I’ve had to work very hard for, and I’ve always put in a lot of time and effort. When I was playing footy, I was living the same kind of life as I do now in MMA, training twice a day as a teenager and living and breathing the sport.

I was doing that same thing for football. When I started training MMA, it was just a switch of what I preferred. I thought it was cooler and more for me, more of a solo sport. I’ve always been passionate about the sport. I was a fan before I even started training. I just wanted to get into it. I’ve always had the same mindset going into anything.

When you step into the cage, what’s going through your mind in the first 30 seconds?

What’s going through my mind is I’m trying to get into the fight, set up what I need to set up. I’m pretty clear-minded. I’m not thinking too much. I’m just reacting based off instinct and all my training. There’s not too much going through my mind other than fight and seeing what presents itself. Is this guy striking more? Is he wrestling more? I’m just trying to implement my own will upon my opponent.

Do you identify more as a grappler who learned striking, or a striker who embraced grappling?

More of a grappler that learned striking. That was what I was more naturally talented at early on. I won most of my amateur fights through grappling. Towards the end of my amateur career, I had a couple kickboxing fights to force myself to get better and more comfortable with striking. Because when you win by taking guys down and submitting them, you fall back on that.

Forcing myself to get comfortable with stand-up made me adopt more striking into my style. Now I have more finishes in my pro career with stand-up and I’m more comfortable with it. Now I’m more easy in approaching fights, whether striking or grappling.

The lightweight division is one of the toughest in the UFC. How do you assess where you stand right now?

Honestly, I think I’m right at the top of the division. A lot of these guys are not as well-rounded. I have more tools in the toolbox, more paths to victory. When I fight these more one-dimensional guys, I can make them pay in areas they’re weaker in.

Are there any specific fighters you study or feel stylistically drawn to?

Not necessarily. I used to watch a lot of fighters and try to implement their style into my own. But now I’m more about developing what works for me. I used to be a big fan of Israel Adesanya because of his flashiness, and Joanna Jędrzejczyk for her kickboxing style. I was a fan of her pace and technique when I started getting into striking. I used to watch them and take what I could and implement it in the gym.

Alexander has set a high benchmark for Australian fighters on the global stage. Have you had a chance to interact with him or learn from his journey? If so, what insights have stuck with you?

We haven’t had too many interactions, mostly just saying hello in person. We live on opposite sides of the country. I’ve never trained with him or had a proper one-on-one chat. But seeing what he’s done for the sport and setting such a high benchmark is great for us. It pushes everyone in Australia to do better. It lifts everyone.

If everything goes right, what does the best version of you look like in terms of achievements and career goals?

Getting the belt and getting super rich. That’s the goal. I want to become the lightweight champion and be financially well off when my career is done. I want to sail off into the sunset on my yacht when it’s all said and done and not have to work after retirement. I’m trying to work hard now and get the rewards later. I don’t think I’ll fully retire completely, but I want a good revenue stream after my athletic career so I can still live well.

Now, being an Australian, do you follow cricket?

No, I’m not into cricket that much. I like playing backyard cricket or beach cricket as a kid. But I’ve never really been into watching it.

Is there any cricketer you enjoy watching?

Not really. I don’t know any cricketers’ names. I only know Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting because they’re famous here. That’s it.

You’re now set to face Beneil Dariush, who brings a lot of experience at the highest level. How do you assess that matchup, and where does your confidence come from going into a fight like this?

I mainly think about how cool it is. I always thought I’d be fighting guys like this one day. Now it’s happening and I’m super pumped. The last two guys I’ve fought in the UFC have been in the UFC longer than I’ve been training. So I don’t really care about experience. I think skill outweighs experience. My confidence comes from my training and belief in my ability to get the job done.

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