Did you miss the Meta Apex? Because it’s back!
Would you believe it’s been six weeks since fighters last stepped into the Apex’s hallowed hallways? Following trips to Oklahoma City, Abu Dhabi, and a historic Belgrade stop, the show is back in Las Vegas with UFC Vegas 120 headlined by grizzled lightweight veteran Mateusz Gamrot and one of the division’s brightest prospects Quillan Salkilld. The phrase “litmus test” is one of combat sports’ most worn-out clichés, but it perfectly applies here.
We don’t know exactly what we have with Salkilld, just 26 years old and heading into his 14th pro bout. He’s 5-0 in the UFC so far and his past three opponents didn’t make it out of the first round, including longtime contender Beneil Dariush. If Salkilld’s finishing power and consistency are real, we could see another name muscle its way to the top of the always crowded 155-pound division.
Gamrot will have a lot to say about it. He’s been in wars Salkilld hasn’t come close to experiencing, and almost always forces his opponents to find another gear after the first five minutes. He’s tailor-made to derail the Salkilld hype train.
Win or lose, we’re going to learn a lot about Salkilld’s championship potential Saturday.
Where: Meta Apex in Las Vegas
When: Saturday, Aug. 8. The seven-fight preliminary card begins at 5 p.m. ET, followed by a five-fight main card at 8 p.m. ET. The entire event streams live on Paramount+.
(Numbers in parentheses indicate standing in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings)
Mateusz Gamrot (11) vs. Quillan Salkilld (13)
I truly believe Quillan Salkilld will fight for a UFC title someday. But it won’t be soon and it won’t be off the back of Mateusz Gamrot.
Listen, I know I had a similar read with last week’s Jan Blachowicz vs. Navajo Stirling encounter in which I picked Blachowicz to stifle the younger Stirling (spoiler: he did not stifle the younger Stirling), but my logic was sound: Gamrot is a significant step up in competition and Salkilld is still approaching his prime. We haven’t seen the best version of Salkilld yet and it’s that hypothetical version I’d pick to beat Gamrot. Now? There’s a lot of work to do.
Chiefly, Salkilld’s takedown defense. He’s a good grappler and he knows how to work his way out of trouble. Can he avoid getting in trouble in the first place, though? Gamrot has excellent top control and even with Salkilld’s athletic gifts, he can only scramble out of danger so many times before his energy starts to wane. And remember, this is a five-rounder. Gamrot has survived a few of those, Salkilld has only gone three rounds once in the UFC.
I’m expecting 25 minutes of grueling grappling from Gamrot, not enough to completely discourage Salkilld, but enough to make sure he does his homework before his next fight. Unless Salkilld can find a way to get it going on the feet, I have Gamrot by decision.
Diego Ferreira vs. Billy Quarantillo
Take two older dudes who love to chuck ‘em and toss ‘em in a cage and let God sort ‘em out. This is the kind of old school matchmaking I can get behind.
Diego Ferreira and Billy Quarantillo both like to come forward throwing knockout punches and aren’t afraid to mix in a little grappling, too. They’re both on two-fight losing streaks and, frankly, likely see this as their last chance to prove they can still compete at the UFC level. That could lead to some caution, but given Ferreira and Quarantillo’s histories, I doubt it.
More likely these two will stand and bang it out, with Ferreira being the first to take this to the ground if he sees an opening. I love that Quarantillo is doing his body a favor and moving up to lightweight, but he is giving up some strength here and Ferreira will exploit that. If he decides to turn this into a grappling match, he’ll outwork Quarantillo and find a submission in the second round.
Darren Elkins vs. Yadier del Valle
Yadier del Valle has had a strange UFC career so far with the whole Isaac Dulgarian debacle and then a disappointing performance against Jordan Leavitt, so it’s only fitting he’d randomly be chosen to be Darren Elkins’ final fight.
The younger del Valle should rag-doll Elkins and put him away easily because as much as we praise Elkins for his toughness, he has been finished on multiple occasions and it feels like whatever is left of his famed durability has finally left him. Even he knows it’s time to hang it up, which doesn’t bode well for his chances. Don’t get me wrong, Elkins will go for broke and squeeze every last ounce of MMA out of his battle-torn body, but it won’t be enough.
It would be awesome to see Elkins author one of his classic third-round surges and it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility given del Valle’s inexperience. But fairy tale endings are few and far between in this business, so it’s far more likely del Valle does what he’s supposed to do and pounds Elkins out within the opening five minutes.
Amanda Lemos (7) vs. Alexia Thainara (12)
I’m an unabashed Alexia Thainara stan, so I’m calling it now: Thainara dominates this matchup and places herself squarely in the contender conversation, with a title shot waiting for her in 2027.
How does Thainara get it done? Grappling, grappling, and more grappling. That’s been Thainara’s calling card so far and while it would be nice to see her mix it up some, especially if she has championship aspirations, right now if it ain’t broke, don’t break it. Amanda Lemos might be in a slump, but she’s still one of the harder hitters in the 115-pound division. If Thainara gets cute in the standup, Lemos will put her on her backside.
Play it smart, “Burguesinha.” Shoot for takedowns early and often, wear Lemos down, and maybe even leave the Apex with another submission win on your record. A top 10 spot awaits.
Ty Miller vs. Billy Ray Goff
Ladies and gentlemen, we give you your Squash Match of the Week!
With respect to Billy Ray Goff, there’s a reason he’s being dusted off for the first time in over a year to take on Ty Miller. Goff cares not for defense. He’s giving up size in this matchup. And he hasn’t won a fight since August 2023. His punching power and aggression make him dangerous, but he’s going to have Miller in his face the entire fight so he should at least try to keep his hands up.
The expected outcome is Miller walks Goff down, throws punches in bunches, and overwhelms him en route to a first-round knockout win. Who am I to argue?
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