Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight sluggers Quillan Salkilld vs. Jamie Mullarkey will square off this weekend (Sat., Jan. 31, 2026) inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia for UFC 325.
West Australia’s Salkilld was a relative unknown heading into his UFC 321 replacement position opposite the well-established Nasrat Haqparast. Thriving in his underdog role, a single picture-perfect high kick changed everything, turning Salkilld from just another Contenders Series prospect to one of the most hyped young Lightweight up-and-comers. He’ll face another veteran challenge in the well-traveled Mullarkey, who replaces the injured Rongzhu and lands on the main card as a result.
It’s a clash of Australian sluggers likely to deliver a stoppage, so let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:
Salkilld vs. Mullarkey Betting Odds
- Quillan Salkilld victory: -850
- Quillan Salkilld via TKO/KO/DQ: TBD
- Quillan Salkilld via submission: TBD
- Quillan Salkilld via decision: TBD
- Jamie Mullarkey victory: +500
- Jamie Mullarkey via TKO/KO/DQ: TBD
- Jamie Mullarkey via submission: TBD
- Jamie Mullarkey via decision: TBD
- Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
How Salkilld Wins
Salkilld definitely has skills. Thus far in his short UFC career, he’s proven to have power in his hands, an active and dangerous kicking game, and fairly relentless wrestling. At just 25 years of age, physicality remains his greatest asset: Salkilld really pushes the pace and wears his foes down.
He’s won ten in a row for a reason.
In the biggest win of his career over Haqparast, Salkilld avoided the boxing range. At range, he blasted round kicks and poked at his opponent with teeps, scoring points (and eventually the KO!) from long distance. When Haqparast pressured and tried to box, Salkilld routinely met him with takedown attempts. He didn’t actually drag Haqparast down to the floor, but he successfully prevented Haqparast from boxing.
The Mullarkey matchup calls for a similar approach. Salkilld is the better wrestler and kicker by a fair margin, while Mullarkey might have an edge in the pocket. It’s certainly Mullarkey’s best aspect, so why take the fight where he’s comfortable? Salkilld doesn’t need to brawl when he can wrestle, kick, and pick his moments to exchange.
How Mullarkey Wins
Mullarkey has been on the UFC roster since 2019, playing the roles of hammer and nail in roughly equal parts. He’s not technical or athletic enough to make serious headway at 155-pounds, but the jiu-jitsu black belt is an absolute gamer who never shies away from a scrap. He’s won 10 bouts via knockout and another three via submission.
If Salkilld’s general strategy here is to avoid the pocket, the inverse is true for Mullarkey. His goal for the fight is to press through the kicking range, shuck off takedowns, and force extended exchanges. Salkilld is a talented young athlete, not an experienced brawler, and Mullarkey certainly hits hard enough to teach him some painful lessons.
The question here is whether Mullarkey’s defense and durability are up to the challenge. He’ll have to keep his guard high as he advances, yet he cannot allow easy access to his hips. Feints, body work, and patient cage-cutting are the go-to answers for pressuring a kicking wrestler, and it’s up to Mullarkey to create enough of his own offense that he can start to wear down the younger man.
Salkilld vs. Mullarkey Prediction
This is a classic case of a difference in athleticism and age making all the difference. On paper, Mullarkey has the skills and experience to give Salkilld some trouble. He’s been in there with much better competition overall, but at a certain point, fight time becomes a detriment. Mullarkey has a lot of miles — notably in the form of six knockout losses — on the tires for a 31 year old, and he’s not a defensive maestro.
The odds are high that the quick and aggressive Salkilld finds some hard connections early. Mullarkey might survive them, but either way, it’s difficult to interrupt a nonstop fighter like Salkilld once he takes the center and implements his will.
