Paris, France — Having arrived at UFC Paris following a successful stint on Dana White’s Contender Series last year, Cristian Quinonez had all of ten days to prepare for his fight with Khalid Taha.
Mexico’s Quinonez (17-3) secured a first-round TKO of Taha on the preliminary card at the Accor Arena in Paris on Saturday, and afterwards discussed the difficulties of making the short-notice fight happen.
In particular, the narrow time frame made making weight difficult.
“Yes, a lot. I think I was the last athlete on the scale. It was very complicated, but after I made weight, I knew I was going to win the fight,” Quinonez told Cageside Press and other media outlets backstage on Saturday.
He also discussed the nerves he felt ahead of the fight. Rather than the fabled octagon jitters commented on by many first time UFC fighters, Quinonez always feels nervous ahead of his fights.
“I always feel nerves, but I try to challenge it with positivity. And in the cage, let’s take the moment and make things happen.”
In attendance on Saturday was UFC interim flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, Mexico’s biggest UFC star — something Quinonez called “inspirational.”
“He inspires me, that anything is possible,” Quinonez said of the champ. “If you work hard enough, you can make your dreams come true.”
Watch the full UFC Paris post-fight press scrum with Cristian Quinonez above.
