Lightweight, Gauge Young (8-1) vs. Quillan Salkilld (6-1)
Notable Notes
- Both have won by KO/TKO, submission, and decision
- Both have had extensive amateur careers. Young going 7-1 and Salkilld going 8-3.
- Salkilld is the Eternal MMA lightweight champion.
- Young has had three fights at a catchweight.
- Salkilld has never fought in the US.
Gauge Young
Pros
- Deceptive power
- Active ground and pound /Good elbows
- Good right hand
- Uses feints well
- Good kicks/teep
- Good wrestling
- Good movement
Cons
- Lacks submission awareness
- Suspect cardio
- Lacks jiu-jitsu
Quillan Salkilld
Pros
- Scrambles well
- Uses reach well
- Good positional awareness
- Submission threat
- Dangerous counter striker
- Goes body-head well
- High work rate
- Mixing up striking patterns
- Sticky grappler
- Throws in combinations
- Good wrestling
- Solid gas tank
Cons
- TDD needs work
Prediction: Salkilld is an undefeated guy and Young is a much-improved fighter. When watching both guys and comparing them to each other, Young looks as if he’s the less experienced fighter. That said, Young is actually the more experienced pro and that says a lot as to where Salkilld is at in his career.
Young has a path to victory being the better athlete and the more powerful guy. With Young there are concerns however. We’ve seen in fights that his gas tank is a concern in the later rounds. He’s a good wrestler but his ground game as a whole doesn’t match. Salkilld is a better grappler as a whole. He probably could even out-wrestle Young.
Young has improved as a striker. He used to reach with his punches and not set anything up. He’s moved away from that, but if he was to fall back into bad habits, Salkilld can really hurt him. Salkilld is a long rangy guy and uses his reach well. He’s a dangerous counter striker as Blake Donnelly saw when he got knocked out with one punch. I love the way he puts his hands together throwing combinations. His body-head work is slick as he’s constantly mixing up his striking patterns.
Young is quickly improving as a striker but I think Salkilld is catching him too early in his career. I favor Salkilld as he has more weapons, is more well-rounded, and has fewer unanswered questions. I like both guys but I’ve got Salkilld by third-round TKO on DWCS Season 8 Week 4 and I’m 65% confident.
