The Scorecard | UFC Fight Night: Gamrot vs Salkilld

Australia has a new UFC title contender, and his name is Quillan Salkilld. The rangy lightweight came into his main event bout with Mateusz Gamrot with many expecting him to strike against the Polish grappler, but instead, Salkilld took the opportunity to beat Gamrot where he was strongest as he delivered a statement performance to submit his man in the first round.

The performance was one of the most impressive we’ve seen from an emerging contender so far this season, as Salkilld gave us a glimpse of his striking before showcasing his mat skills. He calmly worked his way out of a potential heel hook situation before eventually forcing Gamrot to tap.

Watch Salkilld's Exclusive Post-Fight Interview With UFC.com

Gamrot had only been submitted once in his 31 professional fights prior to this weekend, and that came against former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, who finished him in the second round. Salkilld did it half a round faster than “Do Bronxs,” and now has his sights set on the division’s biggest names for his next assignment.

Who knows, maybe we’ll see a fight between Salkilld and Oliveira at some point down the line. Now wouldn’t that be a treat…

Ty Miller

Undefeated welterweight prospect Ty Miller made waves with his buzzer-beating first-round finish of Adam Fugitt in his UFC debut at UFC 324. And on Saturday night at Meta APEX, he added another UFC win, and another finish, to his growing resumé.

Miller was made to showcase his defensive wrestling skills as he fended off Billy Ray Goff’s takedown attempts in the early exchanges. But once he established his ability to control where the fight took place, he set about piecing up his opponent with strikes, sapping Goff’s gas tank while racking up the points.

Hear What Miller Had To Say After His Big Knockout Win

By the end of the second round, the fight was clearly Miller’s, and as the final frame got underway, he hit the jackpot as he hurt, then finished his man to claim a Performance of the Night-winning TKO finish.

He’s only two fights into his UFC career, but the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate looks like a name to keep a close eye on as he looks to make his way up the welterweight ladder.

Diego Ferreira

They say age is only a number, but in the sport of mixed martial arts, where the old are eventually fed to the young, being competitive in the Octagon into your 40s is a major achievement. So those of us who know what it feels like to be a fortysomething (including this writer) can only stand and applaud when we see someone competing at the top level at that age.

Diego Ferreira certainly deserves that applause after his performance on Saturday night. Matched with a Billy Quarantillo who was feeling bigger, stronger and full of energy in his first fight after moving up from featherweight, Ferreira produced a superb display as he took advantage of a hole in “Billy Q’s” defenses and fed him a steady diet of sharp, snappy strikes throughout their three-round lightweight battle.

Read Our Full Breakdown Of Every Fight Here

Ferreira fought with the smarts of a seasoned veteran, but the sharpness of a rising contender, as he outstruck Quarantillo throughout the bout, listening to his corner and acting on their instructions as he claimed a shutout win on the scorecards.

He might be firmly in the veteran stage of his career, but based on that performance, it seems Ferreira’s still got plenty of gas in the tank.

Yadier Del Valle

Dubbed “The Cuban Problem,” Yadier Del Valle was cast in the role of spoiler at Meta APEX as he took on retiring veteran Darren Elkins. And while he certainly spoiled “The Damage’s” last dance, he did so in mercifully swift fashion.

Del Valle arrived in Las Vegas determined to bounce back after losing his first fight as a pro against Jordan Leavitt last time out. And in a blistering comeback performance, the Houston-based featherweight found his mark early with a nasty straight left just 35 seconds into the fight.

WATCH: Del Valle Post-Fight Interview | Elkins Announces Retirement

Del Valle was respectful of his opponent before and after the fight, and paid him zero respect during it as he ruthlessly did his job to bounce straight back into the win column in decisive fashion.

The 30-year-old has made no secret of his wish to take on fellow rising prospect Tommy McMillen. Based on what we’ve seen from both men, that would be a cracker of a matchup. A bout with McMillen’s most recent victim, Alberto Montes, might offer a fun stylistic matchup, too. But regardless of who he’s matched with next, Del Valle will head into the matchup with his confidence restored after Saturday night’s quickfire success.

Alexia Thainara

From the moment she danced into the UFC and submitted Molly McCann in her Octagon debut in London, Alexia Thainara has looked like a fighter with significant upside in the 115-pound division. Now Thainara has a number next to her name and is starting to eye the division’s top names after claiming the biggest win of her career to date.

Matched with longtime contender Amanda Lemos, Thainara showed us the grappling chops that had been a feature of her first three appearances in the Octagon. But in addition to her ground game, “Burguesinha” gave us a look at her evolving striking arsenal as she gave Lemos enough to be worried about on the feet to open up opportunities for her grappling.

See How The Judges Scored Every Round Of Every Fight

And while Lemos rallied a little in the second round and did enough to earn the round on two of the three scorecards, it wasn’t enough to deny Thainara, who claimed a unanimous decision victory to take her win streak to 13 and her UFC record to 4-0.

That win should be enough to see Thainara, ranked No. 10 in the Meta UFC Rankings, earn herself a shot at single-digit opposition next time out.