Dana White’s “Contender Series” standout Quillan Salkilld made his Octagon debut with a stunning, first-round technical knockout victory over “Road to UFC” product Anshul Jubli to open the UFC 312 preliminary card last weekend in Sydney.
The finish, which came in less than 20 seconds, set social media ablaze.
That said, not everyone is jumping for joy. In fact, referee Jim Perdios is taking some heat from the Jubli team for what they believe was an early stoppage, referencing the comeback wins by Frankie Edgar (UFC 136) and Cheick Kongo (UFC on Versus 4).
“I would like to give references to two fights, first one is Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard,” Coach Siddharth Singh said on Instagram. “In the first round, Gray Maynard hurt Frankie Edgar three times. But the fight was allowed to proceed by the referee. Later, Frankie Edgar, despite being hurt, came back and won the fight. The second fight reference is of Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry. This fight is important because, in this fight, Pat Barry seriously hurt Cheick Kongo. But it was Cheick Kongo who knocked out Pat Barry later on.”
Edgar was lightweight champion and Kongo was already an established contender more than a dozen fights into his UFC career. Most referees will give seasoned combatants with a track record for durability a bit more leeway when it comes to battling through adversity.
“Definitely it was an early stoppage,” Singh continued. “Anshul got dropped and he fell but he came back with a single leg and he was wrestling up. Saturday, yes, he did make a mistake that he got caught with a punch. There’s so much hard work for a fighter that he wants to fight, he wants to show his skill set. But anyway, it is what it is, Anshul will be back. He’s motivated, he’s hungry. I guarantee you that next time you watch Anshul, he’ll be better than ever before.”
Jubli (7-2) stands at 1-2 for UFC following his “Road to UFC” victory in late 2022.