Quillan Salkilld will make the walk at UFC 325 on Saturday night under unique circumstances, accepting a relatively short-notice bout against Jamie Mullarkey in a matchup that marks the first time he’s faced a fellow Australian inside the octagon.
The late addition adds an extra layer of intrigue to an already compelling lightweight clash, with national pride and opportunity colliding on fight night.
“I got the news three weeks ago I think now? All up for it, another Aussie guy, it’s going to be a tough fight,” Salkilld told reporters on Wednesday.
“Two Aussie fighting each other. I don’t think there’s going to be anything more fun to watch.”
Salkilld (10-1) was originally scheduled to face Rongzhu at UFC 325, but after his opponent withdrew, Mullarkey stepped in to answer the call. For his part, Salkilld said there was never any hesitation about staying on the card in Sydney, emphasizing that competing in front of a home crowd was never in doubt. The late opponent change didn’t alter his mindset, only the name across from him.
“I don’t really formulate too much of a game plan to be honest. I just want to go in there and just fight my fight,” he said.
“That’s it. To me it doesn’t really matter what opponent I get. I’m just going to go in there and fight my fight.”
Salkilld also spoke about the potential boost of fighting in front of a home audience, noting that the atmosphere in Australia tends to elevate his performance rather than add pressure. He said the energy surrounding fight week and the walkout are moments he genuinely embraces.
“I definitely feed off the energy of the crowd, of the whole fight week. I like to have some fun during fight week and when I walk out I think how cool all this is,” said Salkilld.
“I find that really helps me, not only just get into the zone, but feel nice, calm, relaxed and I think I perform better when I’m more at ease.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Quillan Salkilld above. He faces Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 325 on Saturday night.
