Social media guru and “MMA Twitter” favorite Billy Quarantillo is set to battle Gabriel Benitez in just a few days time. Coming off of his first loss since 2016, against Gavin Tucker back in December, Quarantillo took lessons from the defeat which he believes will only help bring the top version of himself to the Apex this weekend.
“A lot of little stuff I wasn’t really expecting,” Quarantillo stated. “You have to expect everything. I was expecting more of a striking fight, I knew he’d shoot in for takedowns but he was a lot better than I thought he’d be. I should have been prepared for that, lot easier said after the fight,” Quarantillo continued. “Game-planing better, improving my overall game, getting better everywhere.”
“Billy Q” will look to get back to his winning ways with a battle against Benitez (22-8), who is coming off a win after a short two fight skid. Quarantillo feels Beneitez is a perfect measuring stick to prove he is a contender in the featherweight division.
“He’s tough, he’s durable,” Quarantillo told Cageside Press. “He’s 6-4 in UFC, been around the block. He’s one of those guys if I want to stick around, want to be in the UFC for the long haul, it’s a guy you’ve got to get past. He’s a guy I have to get through to get to the next level,” Quarantillo continued. “I kind of know what he wants to do, but if he does anything different we have prepared for those second and third options.”
“I’m still relatively new in this sport, I’m still getting better. July 17 you will see the best Billy Q out there.”
UFC on ESPN 26 takes place this Saturday, July 17 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV. Quarantillo vs. Benitez opens up the main card on ESPN (TSN in Canada).
