Dom Mar Fan entered his UFC Perth bout with an unusual record quirk: both of his previous career losses came against the same fighter. Mar Fan had been defeated twice by Quillan Salkilld in the Eternal MMA promotion. The first loss occurred via submission in the third round, while the second came in the second round. As an Australian fighter, Mar Fan was the first local competitor to enter the Octagon on the UFC Perth card.
When Dom Mar Fan, nicknamed "Street Buddha," stepped into the Octagon at UFC Perth, he carried with him one of the more unusual record quirks in the promotion: every professional loss on his résumé belongs to the same man.
Mar Fan, a 26-year-old orthodox fighter standing five-foot-eleven with a 75-inch reach, holds a 9-3-0 career record. All three defeats have not come against a spread of opponents — rather, both of his pre-UFC losses were handed to him by fellow Australian Quillan Salkilld under the Eternal MMA banner. The first defeat came via submission in the third round, and Salkilld repeated the feat in the second round of their rematch. Mar Fan lands 3.71 significant strikes per minute at 56 percent accuracy, and averages two takedowns per 15 minutes, suggesting a well-rounded game that Salkilld nonetheless solved on two separate occasions. He was the first local fighter to walk out in the Octagon on the Perth card.
Salkilld, also 26 and Australian, trains out of Luistro Combat Academy and currently sits ranked 15th in the UFC lightweight division with a 12-1-0 record. At six feet tall with a 75-inch reach, he is a notably active and precise wrestler, averaging an eye-catching 7.95 takedowns per 15 minutes while landing significant strikes at 5.16 per minute on 57 percent accuracy — numbers that paint a picture of a fighter who smothers opponents both standing and on the ground.
Why it matters
- Mar Fan must overcome a psychological and technical hurdle that no other opponent has posed him: a fighter who has already submitted him twice
- Salkilld's elite takedown volume directly targets Mar Fan's comparatively modest 2.0 takedowns per 15 minutes, hinting at a clear grappling gap between the two
- As a ranked lightweight, Salkilld's presence on the card signals the UFC is invested in developing Australian talent at a meaningful divisional level
