Billy Quarantillo returns to action at UFC Vegas 120, moving up a weight class at the end of a long layoff that saw him rehabbing from knee surgery.
Quarantillo (18-7) hasn’t fought since a December 2024 loss to Cub Swanson, meaning he’s been out of action over a year and a half. For a fighter known to stay active, it wasn’t easy.
“It was a weird thing. It’s very strange, taking so much time off, this is obviously my main job, my career,” stated “Billy Q” during this week’s UFC Vegas 120 media day. Luckily, Quarantillo also runs his own gym, and had plenty of fight camps to assist with. Still, he added, “it’s exciting to finally have my own training camp and my own Fight Week underway.”
The decision to move up in weight came after Quarantillo found himself “puking the night before, pretty much all night” ahead of his bout with Youssef Zalal. “And then the Cub Swanson fight, the last fight that I had, I made the weight, and it was a long process of making the weight. And then I never felt normal again. Even heading over to the venue I still felt like I was drained, I still felt like I was sucked out.”
“The decision had to be made. I was like, I can’t just keep doing this to my body. Fighting is brutal enough, and to keep torturing myself making the weight, I’d rather go in there and have a slight size disadvantage than just to kill myself before the fight.
That said, Quarantillo added, “I’m still cutting weight. Don’t let that fool you, it’s still going to be a bit of a weight cut. But it’s just been good. I’ve got a little bit extra meat on my bones.”
Quarantillo squares off against Brazil’s Carlos Diego Ferreira this Saturday. “It’s a fun match-up,” stated the American, calling it an “exciting fight.”
“I was worried that they were going to give me someone that, I didn’t know who they were. I’m familiar with Diego’s game. Especially now, the last few weeks we’ve been watching him. We both fought Alexander Hernandez, we both fought Kyle Nelson. He’s been around a long time, I’ve been around a long time. We’re the co-main event. I think the fans know, I think the UFC knows it’s going to be just an absolute barn-burner, it’s going to be a great fight. I’m looking to go out there and deliver.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 120 media day appearance by Billy Quarantillo above.
