Eddie Alvarez has picked his guy at 155 pounds, and it’s a 26-year-old Australian he only started watching recently. The former UFC and Bellator champion told MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn on The Bohnfire podcast that Quillan Salkilld has what it takes to win a lightweight title and hold on to it.
“He’s my new favorite guy,” Alvarez said. “I’m not kidding.”
His son gets the scouting credit. Alvarez said Anthony put Salkilld on his radar, and then he went and watched what the Aussie did to Mateusz Gamrot in the main event of UFC Fight Night 284 in August. Salkilld (13-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) submitted Gamrot in the first round, and Alvarez said his reaction was a stunned expletive.
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The praise carries weight because of how highly Alvarez rates the guy on the other end. He called Gamrot a beast and said that on any given night Gamrot could beat anybody in the division. Seeing a young fighter run through that kind of perennial contender in one round flipped a switch. Alvarez pointed to Salkilld’s gameness, presence and confidence in that fight, and then he delivered the line that ended up in every headline.
“That kid has got it all. He’s dangerous. Really dangerous.”
Six for six
Salkilld made his octagon debut in February 2025 and hasn’t dropped a fight in the UFC since. That’s six straight wins with five stoppages, and four of those finishes came in the first round. His last two victories came against longtime veterans, Gamrot and Beneil Dariush, and that pair moved him up to No. 9 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA lightweight rankings.
Alvarez broke down the Gamrot fight phase by phase. He said Salkilld had the confidence, the stand-up and the ground game, and looked ready to compete wherever the fight ended up going. He didn’t see any weakness in his spirit on the feet or on the mat. Then he pointed to the part you can’t drill in a gym.
“I can tell he believes that no one in that division can beat him,” Alvarez said. “I want to see him prove it to himself.”
His conditions for the title run were practical ones. Alvarez said the path is there as long as Salkilld stays the course and avoids serious injuries. He signed off with about as plain an endorsement as you’ll hear from a former champ.
“I really like his style. I’m a fan of him.”
I trust this one more because Alvarez admitted he was late. He didn’t spend years hyping a prospect off regional highlight reels. He watched one tape against a guy he openly respects and came away hooked, which tells you how that Gamrot fight looked to somebody who has been in those rooms. Four first-round finishes in six UFC fights at 26 is a résumé that has earned a top-five name next, and I’d rather see the matchmakers find out right now than feed him one more veteran to collect a ranking from.
