Quillan Salkilld will get his chance to main event in his home country when the UFC returns to Sydney in February.

13-1 lightweight prospect Salkilld has been on the rise since arriving on the big show at the end of 2024. He landed himself in the top five by submitting Mateusz Gamrot in the first round of their August fight at the Meta Apex, and now gets a chance to really cement his place atop the division.

Is Quillan Salkilld ready for the top five?

After dominating Mateusz Gamrot and submitting him inside a round, is the Australian the real deal?

The Australian will take on Benoit Saint-Denis in the main event of the UFC’s February 6 card at Sydney’s 18,000-capacity Afterpay Arena. It is the sole bout that has been made official for the event thus far, with more to be announced soon.

Quillan Salkilld vs Benoit Saint-Denis to headline UFC Sydney

On Tuesday night, the UFC announced that Quillan Salkilld will be headlining UFC Sydney on February 6 against Benoit Saint-Denis. After six bonus-winning performances in his seven promotional victories, the Aussie is a legitimate contender in the lightweight division.

He faces a stern test in ‘BSD’, whose resume includes stoppage wins over the likes of Beneil Dariush, Dan Hooker and Mauricio Ruffy. His most recent outing saw him quickly submitted by Paddy Pimblett at UFC 329, but he remains one of the most fearsome fighters in the division.

Salkilld and Saint-Denis are actually locked in a battle for sixth place in the UFC rankings. They each have a claim to the spot, the former under the new AI Meta ratings, while the latter is placed there by the media.