The UFC has been on a bit of a global tour of late, with trips ranging from Oklahoma City to Belgrade and everywhere in between. But tonight the promotion heads back to the Meta Apex for the first time in 6 weeks for a card headlined by Mateusz Gamrot and Quillan Salkilld.
2026 Prediction Record (10-4-0)
UFC Fight Night – Gamrot vs. Salkilld
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook (as of August 8th)
- Mateusz Gamrot (+114) vs. Quillan Salkilld (-135)
- Billy Quarantillo (+154) vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira (-185)
- Darren Elkins (+575) vs. Yadier DelValle (-850)
- Amanda Lemos (+210) vs. Alexia Thainara (-258)
- Ty Miller (-410) vs. Billy Ray Goff (+320)
Prelims
- Steven Asplund (-310) vs. Guilherme Pat (+250)
- Diyar Nurgozhay (-162) vs. Bruno Lopes (+136)
- Jose Montanha (+180) vs. Louie Sutherland (-218)
- Manoel Sousa (-310) vs. Richie Miranda (+250)
- Miles Johns (-185) vs. Gianni Vazquez (+154)
- Juliana Miller (-310) vs. Ravena Oliveira (+250)
- Giovanna Canuto (+195) vs. Carol Foro (-238)
Predictions:
Mateusz Gamrot (#8) vs. Quillan Salkilld (#12) – Lightweight
An interesting bout at lightweight between two ranked fighters which has seen the line move quite a bit this week already depending on which sports book is your preferred destination. It’s the classic veteran vs. up and coming prospect bout which should give fight fans a better idea of what kind of future Salkilld has in front of him.
With only 14 professional fights on his record, the 26 year old Australian has looked every bit the part a future star. Already 5-0 in the UFC with wins over former top contenders like Beneil Dariush, Salkilld could officially throw his name into the championship mix with a convincing win over Gamrot.
That being said, Gamrot is a veteran who has been in some wars over the years, whereas Salkilld has a tendency to finish off his opponents quickly. As is usually the case with these types of matchups, this one will likely boil down to whether Gamrot can weather the early onslaught, and test his opponent’s cardio in the later rounds of the fight. Gamrot is a significant step up in competition for Salkilld, and he’ll certainly give us a glimpse into the kind of takedown defence the budding star has.
The Polish lightweight has some dominating top control if he can drag Salkilld to the mat, but I’m going to back the potential here and say that Salkilld gets it done.
Prediction: Salkilld by round 2 TKO
Billy Quarantillo vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira – Lightweight
This one has sneaky potential to be the fight of the night as we get two veterans who aren’t afraid to stand and throw going head to head in the co-main event.
Ferreira is coming off back-to-back losses to Alexander Hernandez and Grant Dawson, but took some time off to recalibrate and get a good camp under his belt. This will be his first fight in nearly a year, with his last trip to the octagon coming in September of 2025. Meanwhile Quarantillo is also coming off two losses, but has had an even longer layoff, not having been inside a ring since his fight of the night loss to Cub Swanson in December of 2024.
This one seems to have all the makings of a “loser leaves town” match, as history has not been kind to older fighters on 3 fight losing streaks in the UFC. A move up to lightweight should make for an easier cut for Quarantillo, but he’ll be giving up some strength in the process to accomplish that feat.
With Ferreira having the edge if the fight goes to the mat, I have to lean his way here, but overall this is one I’ll likely be watching for the entertainment factor rather than actually wagering anything on as both these fighters are fairly well travelled at this point.
Pick: Diego Ferreira by decision
Darren Elkins vs. Yadier DelValle – Featherweight
If you’re looking for any kind of value on this fight, you’re either launching a Hail Mary on the heavy underdog in Elkins, or you’re betting method of victory for DelValle. The sports books are universally favouring the 30 year old Cuban here and for good reason.
The 42 year old Elkins has been in some wars over the years and this is in all likelihood his swan song in the ring. “The Cuban Problem” is 10-1 and has 5 first round finishes on his resume already. That figures to be the most likely outcome of this bout here, but if you’re betting a straight knockout, be aware that DelValle has 4 submissions to his credit as well.
If you’re determined to bet on this fight I’d lean towards an under 2.5 rounds prop (-248) or you can go for broke and try your luck with a 1st round KO bet as even adding DelValle to a parlay for a straight win will do little to move your lines.
Prediction: DelValle round 1 KO
Amanda Lemos (#8) vs. Alexia Thainara (#12) – Strawweight
Thainara is undefeated in the UFC and is coming into this bout with considerable momentum. On the other side, Lemos is coming off consecutive losses to Tatiana Suarez and Gillian Robertson. There’s certainly a world in which Thainara dominates Lemos and positions herself for a potential title shot in 2027. But Lemos is still one of the harder hitting fighters in the Strawweight division.
If the “Burguesinha” can stick to her game plan and shoot for takedowns early and often, she should be able to neutralize Lemos’ striking ability. The odds aren’t great on her as a straight up pick, but putting something together like Thainara + Over 1.5 rounds brings things to roughly -125 which is more palatable.
The only world in which I see Lemos getting off her slide is if she catches Thainara early, or her fellow Brazilian deviates from what’s worked for her in the past and she tries to stand and trade with the veteran fighter. In all likelihood, I see this as a statement win from Thainara where she smothers Lemos on the mat for most of the night.
Prediction: Thainara by decision
Ty Miller vs. Billy Ray Goff – Welterweight
If there’s one thing Goff is known for, it’s his all gas, no brakes approach to fights. The American has never been a fan of “picking his spots”, and has been prone to leaving himself open to take heavy shots in the past. Which is why the line is so skewed here.
Most analysts will agree that the pre-fight prediction is that Miller walks Goff down, and picks him apart en route to a 1st round stoppage. With back to back losses to Ramiz Brahimaj and Trey Waters, Goff is coming off a nearly 1.5 year layoff between bouts to take on an undefeated prospect with a 5″ reach advantage.
I’m not going to overthink it and will side with chalk here.
Prediction: Miller by round 1 KO
Other Bouts:
- Steven Asplund vs. Guilherme Pat – Asplund by Decision
- Diyar Nurgozhay vs. Bruno Lopes – Nurgozhay by round 2 TKO
- Jose Montanha vs. Louie Sutherland – Montanha by round 2 KO
- Manoel Sousa vs. Richie Miranda – Sousa by round 1 KO
- Miles Johns vs. Gianni Vazquez – Vazquez by decision
- Juliana Miller vs. Ravena Oliveira – Miller by decision
- Giovanna Canuto vs. Carol Foro – Foro by round 3 TKO
Photo: UFC.com
-Brandon Odam