Australian Quillan Salkilld knocked out India’s Anshul Jubli with a punch in 19 seconds in the early prelims of UFC 312 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Sunday (February 9), making for a memorable debut.
Salkilid was considered the favorite by the experts to play at home, but no one would have expected him to win the fight so soon. According to NDTV, some protests were sparked after the 30-year-old Jubli was knocked out, with suggestions that the referee had acted prematurely and decided to play in favor of the Australian fighter when the Indian was not actually out.
Jubli tried to check Salkilld with a punch to the body, but the Australian fighter seemed completely rattled by the blow, and Salkilld then feinted before landing a brutal right-hand punch on Jubli, which the Indian fighter was unprepared for, after which Jubli went down. Salkilld tried to land another punch on Jubli, who was already on the floor, but the referee intervened and stopped the fight.
Indian fighter Jubilee, however, later stated that he had not gone all out and wanted to continue the fight before the referee intervened. Even Jubli protested his stoppage by reaching his opponent’s feet in a desperate attempt to continue the fight, but the referee, however, called it off and never came back.
The argument continued on social media after the fight, but UFC lightweight Renato Moicano, ranked No. 10, said the fight should not have been stopped.
It was the second appearance in the UFC for India’s Anshul Jubli who had hopes for himself against Australia’s Salkilld. Earlier in 2023, Jubli was knocked out by American fighter Mike Breeden at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. Indian fighter performed well in that fight.
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