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Mauricio Ruffy vs Quillan Salkilld Officially Signed For UFC Sydney On February 7 Next Year

Paul Kelly Written by Sports EditorPaul Kelly
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Quillan Salkilld - UFC

Mauricio Ruffy vs Quillan Salkilld is officially signed for UFC Sydney on February 7, 2026.

Following his chilling head-kick knockout at UFC 321, Salkilld has been granted an opportunity at a top 15 ranked lightweight in Ruffy for a Sydney showdown next year.

Mauricio Ruffy vs Quillan Salkilld Confirmed For UFC Sydney

Quillan Salkilld is the talk of the MMA world right now, following his destructive and frankly chilling knockout of Nasrat Haqparast on the UFC 321 prelims.

The 25-year-old secured one of two UFC bonuses handed out by Dana White at UFC 321 thanks to his first round head-kick knockout. In just his third UFC contest, Salkilld secured his second ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus.

That knockout has seemingly earned the Australian fighter a shot at the top 15, as it has been confirmed that he will face Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Sydney on February 7, 2026.

Ruffy is currently ranked at #15 in the official UFC lightweight rankings, with Salkilld now just one win away from the top 15 and even bigger fight going forward.

Salkilld has secured two round one knockouts in his UFC tenure already, with his other win coming at UFC 316 via decision. All three of Salkilld’s fights in the UFC have come on huge pay-per-view shows too. It’s fair to say he’s making waves at 155-pounds.

Next up will be Brazil’s Ruffy, who was himself riding a three fight unbeaten run in the UFC before losing to Benoit Saint Denis last time out in September.

Ruffy boasts wins over the likes of Bobby King Green and Jamie Mullarkey in the UFC, and has secured two ‘Performance of the Night’ bonuses in his short UFC career too.

Ruffy vs Salkilld makes for a thrilling contest at UFC Sydney next February, with the winner potentially landing some huge fights going forward in 2026 in the lightweight division.

Ruffy vs Salkilld Officially Signed For UFC Sydney Main Card

There was a whole lot of hype surrounding Mauricio Ruffy prior to his defeat to Benoit Saint Denis last time out, just like there is a load of hype around Quillan Salkilld now following his UFC 321 victory.

Both Ruffy and Salkilld ultimately have their sights set on flying up the lightweight rankings within the next 12-18 months, with aspirations of one day competing for and winning the UFC Lightweight Title.

Ilia Topuria currently holds the 155-pound belt as well as ruling as #1 in the latest UFC pound-for-pound rankings, but both Ruffy and Salkilld will be quietly confident of one day beating ‘El Matador’ if given the opportunity.

The Ruffy vs Salkilld winner on February 7 at UFC Sydney will ultimately be in for a huge remainder of 2026, with fights against the likes of Renato Moicano, Rafael Fiziev, Mateusz Gamrot and Beneil Dariush a genuine possibility.

With both Salkilld and Ruffy now renowned for their power and finishing abilities, they will likely be granted huge opportunities going forward, particularly the winner of this UFC Sydney 155-pound bout.

Who Will The Ruffy vs Salkilld Favourite Be?

With Mauricio Ruffy coming into his UFC Sydney clash fresh off the back of his first defeat and Quillan Salkilld coming in off a career-best performance, UFC betting sites will likely list the Australian as the pre-fight favourite.

That being said, it is the Brazilian who is the ranked fighter, currently sitting a #15 in the UFC lightweight rankings.

Both Ruffy and Salkilld will be supremely confident of getting the job done on February 7, with both men also confident of securing another ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus.

Salkilld could quite possibly become one of the most followed UFC fighters on Instagram if he were to secure another knockout victory at UFC Sydney, given the destructive performance he put in at UFC 321.

It has to be mentioned that the 25-year-old also took his UFC 321 fight on just 10 days notice, losing 13kg in this period too. With even more time to prepare and less of a drastic weight cut, MMA fans could be in for an even more emphatic performance from the Aussie.

That being said, Ruffy looked like the nest big thing at 155-pounds prior to his defeat to Benoit Saint Denis, so will be looking to get back in the win column with a dominant performance of his own over the hometown hero.

 

Paul Kelly Written by Sports EditorPaul Kelly
Paul has worked in the sports journalism industry for several years now, specialising in boxing, MMA, golf and darts. This includes writing breaking news stories, in-depth features, predictions and more. Paul regularly attends live sporting events as both a journalist and as a fan, further adding to his expertise in his specialist sports. Paul is a Director at YouTube channel ESBR Boxing, as well as featuring regularly at BBC Sport NI. This has helped Paul master his knowledge of sports writing, as well as learning new skills with competence and proficiency.
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