Stepping up on short notice at UFC on ESPN 7 to replace Chris Fishgold, Jacob Kilburn is getting an expedited entrance to the UFC.
The next UFC event will be coming to Washington D.C. in the Capital One Arena on December 7. The UFC on ESPN 7 card is headlined by veteran Alistair Overeem and the rising Jairzinho Rozenstruik. In a featherweight scrap, Contender Series winner Billy Quarantillo was supposed to take on Englishman Chris Fishgold. With the said, Fishgold withdrew and now Billy will take on fellow newcomer Jacob Kilburn.
5’9″
Featherweight
24-years-old
Woodlawn, Tennessee
Harris Holt Combat Sports
8-2
4 KO/TKO
2 Submissions (Guillotine and Armbar)
How will Kilburn fare in the UFC:
Kilburn has a lot of talent but only being 24-years old it would have been nice to see him get a bit more experience. Possibly coming back for the Contender Series next Summer would have been a great idea. Instead, he takes the short notice route to the UFC.
He does have a fan-friendly style and has some stellar knockouts in his career. Kilburn is a kickboxer at heart who likes to stay diverse and flashy. Throwing from all angles he likes to throw wheel kicks to the body and head. At times he throws it perfectly but in the past, he has missed a lot, leaving himself open. Kilburn is very dangerous when he mixes in his kicks with his punches, where he can mask his attacks behind other weapons. He has good power in his hands and solid Muay Thai. He throws a lot of output and really mixes it up nicely attacking all limbs of his opponents. He’s never been knocked out but does keep his hands low, and he’s been tagged a few times.
Where Kilburn falls short is his takedown defense, which isn’t where it should be at all. It’s pretty easy to take him down and while he has some grappling skills, they’re not really off his back. Both his losses are by submission. Prediction: 1-3 to start in the UFC.
Striking: B-
Kickboxing: B-
Clinch: C+
Wrestling: C
Grappling: C
Striking Defense: C
Takedown Defense: D
Cardio: C+
Biggest Strength: Kickboxing
Biggest Weakness: TDD
How Kilburn matches up with Quarantillo:
Quarantillo is the opposite of Kilburn being a pure grappler. On paper, this fight looks like a bad match-up for Kilburn as his ground game is his biggest weakness. Quarantillo is a big threat on the mat with solid BJJ, active ground and pound, and is dangerous on top or bottom. His striking defense needs work and that is somewhere Kilburn could capitalize. I’m taking Quarantillo because I think he has the easier path to victory and Kilburn taking this fight on short notice at 145 is a concern. Kilburn likes to throw kicks so it only takes one time for Quarantillo to catch one and capitalize.
