UFC Fight Night: Beneil Dariush vs Quillan Salkilld Preview & Prediction
Click here to read our latest predictions for MVP MMA: Rousey vs Carano!
Staple of the division, veteran lightweight Beneil Dariush takes on the surging Australian prospect, Quillan Salkilld, in what could be a changing of the guard moment in the lightweight division.
Beneil Dariush vs Quillan Salkilld facts
What time are Beneil Dariush and Quillan Salkilld expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates? RAC Arena, Perth, Australia
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 275
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates main card
Jack Della Maddalena vs Carlos Prates (Welterweight)
Beneil Dariush vs Quillan Salkilld (Lightweight)
Tim Elliott vs Steve Erceg (Flyweight)
Marwan Rahiki vs Ollie Schmid (Featherweight)
Shamil Gaziev vs Brando Pericic (Heavyweight)
Tai Tuivasa vs Louie Sutherland (Heavyweight)
UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates prelims
Cameron Rowston vs Robert Bryczek (Middleweight)
Junior Tafa vs Kevin Christian (Light Heavyweight)
Jacob Malkoun vs Gerald Meerschaert (Middleweight)
Colby Thicknesse vs Vince Morales (Bantamweight)
Ben Johnston vs Wesley Schultz (Middleweight)
Jonathan Micallef vs Themba Gorimbo (Welterweight)
Dom Mar Fan vs Kody Steele (Lightweight)
Beneil Dariush: Top-tier grappler with a deteriorating chin
Beneil Dariush (23-7-1) was knocked out cold in just 16 seconds in his last outing against Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 322, an outing where he also missed weight. The 36-year-old is currently ranked at number 12 in the lightweight division, and that knockout is now the third in his last four fights to have flatlined him on the feet, with Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan both finishing him in the first round prior to that. Six of his seven career losses have come via KO/TKO, a worrying stat for a fighter heading into the later years of his career. Dariush is still an elite grappler with a BJJ pedigree, and throws heavy kicks from southpaw, but his willingness to brawl in the pocket has consistently been his weakness.
Quillan Salkilld: Aussie hometown hero with violent highlight reel finishes
Quillan Salkilld (11-1) is currently riding an eleven-fight win streak heading into UFC Perth, only losing his first ever professional MMA fight. A perfect 4-0 start to his UFC career, with three of those four wins earning Performance of the Night bonuses. The 26-year-old Eternal MMA Lightweight Champion submitted Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 325, and prior to that sleeping Nasrat Haqparast out cold with a brutal head kick at UFC 321, one of the craziest knockouts of 2025. Salkilld is a complete martial artist – a BJJ black belt with credentialed wrestling, and dangerous striking to add to that. The only concern we’ve seen is his defensive responsibility in the later rounds once he’s tired.
Beneil Dariush vs Quillan Salkilld prediction
This fight is being framed as a step up for Salkilld, and on paper, it absolutely is. Dariush has shared the cage with some of the best, however, the version of Dariush walking into RAC Arena is not the same fighter who racked up an eight-fight win streak earlier in his career. The chin is gone, the weight cut will start becoming a problem, and his tendency to invite brawls in the pocket is not going to help.
Dariush’s only realistic path to victory is to lean into his elite grappling, and invite Salkilld to wrestle with him. We’ve seen in a few of his fights in the UFC that Salkilld loves to shoot early, this is where Dariush will want the fight, grind out the rounds, and win on the scorecards. Realistically, Dariush is going to look to strike, and that’s where the lights go out.
Salkilld’s head kicks are fast and powerful, and even a blocked kick could rattle Dariush’s deteriorated chin. The Aussie also throws a downward spike elbow from his guard which is another opportunity to catch Dariush mid-exchange. We’ve seen Dariush dropped from Moicano’s right hand, and Salkilld has more power than Moicano. Either way, Salkilld to win this fight is a lock. I see this fight finishing in the first two rounds.
Prediction: Quillan Salkilld to win by KO/TKO in round one
