Quillan Salkilld has named the two fights he wants next, and neither one is a warm-up. The lightweight prospect called out Paddy Pimblett and Max Holloway this week, and according to a thread that took off on r/MMA, he wants one of them on the UFC Sydney card in February. LowKickMMA, NDTV Sports and MMA Sucka all picked up the story Thursday, with NDTV framing it as a sign his lightweight title charge is gathering pace.
The rankings explain why he picked these two. In the UFC Meta Rankings, which MMA Mania updated after UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, Holloway sits at No. 4 at 155 pounds and Pimblett sits at No. 5. Salkilld is No. 6. He is asking for the two names directly above his own, which is about as clean a ladder climb as a fighter can request.
Above that trio is a crowded top end. Justin Gaethje holds the belt in that system, with Ilia Topuria at No. 1, Arman Tsarukyan at No. 2 and Charles Oliveira at No. 3. Below Salkilld are Benoit Saint Denis at No. 7 and Renato Moicano at No. 8, so the guys chasing him are close enough that standing still carries a real cost.
A caveat on the numbers. The Meta Rankings are their own system. MMA Mania noted that the official media rankings had not been updated when it published, and that those official rankings are expected to be phased out in the coming weeks. If the Meta list becomes the one people cite, Salkilld’s No. 6 carries more weight than it would have a year ago.
As for what happens next, nothing in the reporting says the UFC has offered either fight, and none of the coverage includes a reply from Pimblett or Holloway. For now this is a callout with a date attached (February) and a city attached (Sydney), with no bout agreement behind it yet.
My take: this is the smart ask, and I like that he asked for specific names instead of saying he’ll fight anybody. Pimblett is the fight the ranking logic supports, since one spot up is the fight matchmakers can justify without squinting. Holloway is the bigger swing at No. 4, and if Salkilld gets him, the betting public will finally have a real price to argue about. Until somebody signs, there is no line, and I’ve lost enough money pricing fights that never happened to wait this time. The next Meta update follows UFC Vegas 122 on Oct. 10, and MMA Mania expects most of the movement at middleweight, so Salkilld isn’t climbing anywhere until he gets one of these two in the cage.
