Prediction: Quillan Salkilld via Decision
That right hand alone earned Ashmouz a seat at the UFC table when he stiffened Sam Patterson with it. It’s fast, it’s heavy, and it’s thrown with conviction. But when it doesn’t land clean, Ashmouz starts to look human—and limited.
That’s where the problem starts for him in this matchup.
Quillan Salkilld is no stranger to a brawl, but he brings something Ashmouz can’t match: composure through chaos. He’s tall, rangy, and thrives on pressure. It’s not the kind of reckless pressure that gets you countered—it’s persistent, grinding, suffocating. Whether it’s in the pocket, against the cage, or on the mat, Salkilld’s presence is felt in waves. He doesn’t explode in bursts like Ashmouz; he wears you down. And once he has you cornered, he has the patience to pick the right shots, or the sense to level change and start blanketing you.
His boxing is efficient. Nothing flashy, but fundamentally clean—sharp jab, good entries, and smart combinations. He knows how to build off his pressure, how to mix targets, and more importantly, he knows how to weaponize his pace. You see it in the way his opponents start to panic after round one, when the volume doesn’t stop, when the body shots pile up, and when they realize that he’s not giving them any space to breathe.
But it’s not all smooth sailing for Salkilld. That left hand—the one that keeps dropping—isn’t just a defensive hole, it’s a flashing red target. And Ashmouz, with that loaded right hand, couldn’t ask for a better invitation. Every time Salkilld overextends or gets too comfortable leading exchanges, he risks walking straight into that money shot. It’s not theoretical—Ashmouz will throw it. The only question is: can he land it clean before he’s broken down?
The wrestling angle? Interesting on paper, but this isn’t a matchup where Ashmouz’s strength-based takedowns are likely to shift the tide. He’s compact and physical, sure—but he’s going to be the smaller man here. Salkilld has shown an underrated top game of his own. When he takes guys down, he doesn’t give them windows. He rides heavy, transitions smoothly, and controls wrists like a guy who’s spent rounds learning how to make people drown from half guard. If it turns into a grappling grind, Ashmouz’s muscle may not be enough. In fact, it might gas him.
So the fight boils down to this: Ashmouz needs the nuke. Salkilld needs the minutes. If this turns into a firefight in the opening 90 seconds, Ashmouz could absolutely starch him and walk out looking like a killer. But if Salkilld makes it past that danger window—and history suggests he can—he’s going to start building momentum that Ashmouz won’t be able to answer. The pace, the size, the layered skillset—it’s all in Salkilld’s favor.