Quillan Salkilld has some really good news about his knee, and it’s a huge relief after what went down at UFC Vegas 120 against Mateusz Gamrot last weekend. The Australian lightweight stunned the MMA world by dismantling the veteran contender and submitting him with a rear-naked choke in the very first round of their main event fight. And just like that, he moved to 6-0 in the UFC and rocketed into the top six of the lightweight division.

However, there was some serious concern as the 26-year-old revealed after the fight that he felt a “little pop” in his knee during an early wrestling exchange with Gamrot. But thankfully, it looks like there’s no need to panic, as just a week later, the rising contender has now confirmed that the injury isn’t as serious as he first expected.

“I just tanked it and then just… yeah,” he told Fox Sports Australia. “I do have a bit of a sore knee, but it’s actually not from the leg lock actually, believe it or not. It was from the very first wrestling exchange where he grabbed my ankle and I, like, sprawled into it, and it just felt a little a little crack.

“But yeah, I did got scans done, and it’s not too serious. But yeah, my knee from… just my leg from the actual leg lock itself, zero damage. So yeah, that was quite fortunate.”

That’s particularly important given how dangerous the position looked during the fight. Mateusz Gamrot grabbed Quillan Salkilld’s ankle and initiated a deep leg lock attack, threatening a kneebar before transitioning into a heel hook in an effort to submit the Aussie.

Despite the tough position, however, the 26-year-old refused to give up. He instead tried to wiggle his way out of it, despite feeling something in his knee crack. Salkilld admitted that he heard a small pop when he did so, but the injury wasn’t enough to stop him from continuing.

“There was a wrestling exchange at the start where he grabbed my ankle,” he told the UFC on Paramount+ post-fight show. “If it was training, I would have kind of gone with it to not hurt the knee. He had my ankle, and it turned to like 90 degrees. Because I was being stubborn in that position, I didn’t want to accept any bad position.

“I turned into it and forced it. Usually I didn’t want to do that because I’m always scared about hurting my knee in training. This one, I just went into it and heard a little pop. Even when I had that rear-naked choke, I actually felt it. I was like f—, if I don’t get this, my knee’s going to be sore later. In round two or three, it would have been [sore]. It’s a bit sore now.”

Fortunately for Quillan Salkilld, the soreness appears to be the extent of the issue. More importantly, the Australian finished the fight before the injuries worsened. He fought through Gamrot’s grappling threats, eventually taking the veteran’s back and locking up the rear-naked choke to record possibly the biggest win of his young career.

And now, with the scans showing no serious damage, the 26-year-old is already looking ahead and has made it clear that he doesn’t want to waste any time.

Quillan Salkilld calls for Paddy Pimblett fight in New York

The Australian has already decided who he wants next: Paddy Pimblett. After choking Mateusz Gamrot in the first round, Quillan Salkilld made it clear that he was not interested in taking a victory lap. Instead, he already wants a shot at a fighter near the top of the lightweight division, and he’s doubling down on that call.

While speaking with former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, the 26-year-old was asked who he would choose if he could call his shot. His answer was immediate.

“I just think a Paddy fight would be just so sick,” he said. “Super high profile. That would be epic. That would be ideal. Paddy in New York in November—that would be me.”

As expected, Whittaker too was clearly on board with the idea.

“That’s exactly what we wanted to hear,” the veteran responded. “Because obviously getting it done in the first round, you come back with no damage, feeling good, everything going.

“Hopefully we can get that Paddy fight. I want to see it. I’m sure everybody else does too.”

Quillan Salkilld agreed.

“Yeah, I think everyone wants to see that,” he said.

And honestly? This fight makes way too much sense. Paddy Pimblett is already one of the UFC’s biggest lightweights, while Quillan Salkilld is quickly establishing himself as one of the division’s most exciting newcomers. Put the two together, and you’ve got a fight that almost sells itself.

While Pimblett did lose his first UFC fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 in January as he fell short in the interim lightweight title bout, ‘The Baddy’ bounced back in spectacular fashion, submitting Benoit Saint Denis in under a minute at UFC 329 in July.

And to be fair, Quillan Salkilld didn’t exactly take the scenic route either. The Australian fought in August and just needed one round to defeat Gamrot. Now he wants Paddy Pimblett next, and you can clearly see why.

With both guys coming off massive wins, and the 26-year-old now sitting just behind ‘The Baddy’ in the rankings, this fight is a no-brainer. A bout between them could easily double as a lightweight title eliminator, with the winner putting himself squarely in the title picture.

However, before Quillan Salkilld seriously starts calling for the fight to be booked, he needs to tick one box first: that knee. He’ll want to make sure it’s perfect before diving back into the fire against a man who can easily capitalize on such a handicap.