The owner of one of 2019’s standout UFC debuts, Billy Quarantillo hasn’t been able to follow up his December performance.
Quarantillo (13-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was granted the opportunity for a sophomore appearance at UFC on ESPN+ 31, an event that was supposed to be held April 25. However, the card was one of a handful of event casualties as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“It was weird,” Quarantillo told MMA Junkie in a recent interview. “On one end, we have our boss Dana White saying, ‘Stay ready, stay ready, stay ready,’ which I was cool with. But our gym owner doesn’t want us to come to the gym. We’re worried about getting people sick. We’re just trying to do the right thing. We’ve got people trying to push us in all different directions.
“At the same time, we knew it wasn’t going to be like a regular training camp. We knew we both had to deal with that. So we were prepared to cut weight, make weight and fight. I’ve just been staying in shape since then. It was a crazy time. Obviously, they made the right decision. I’m super excited about these fights that are coming up May 9 and I’m hoping to still get back on a fight card very soon.”
Currently, Quarantillo has been staying active – training when and where he’s able. He’s kept a small circle of training partners, but has limited his sparring.
“We’ve had a really small group that we’ve been able to train with, but mostly it’s been a lot of road work, a lot of jumping rope, and a lot of time in the house,” Quarantillo said. “… Just like everyone, we’re still kind of in shock that this is real.”
Before the pandemic struck, Quarantillo was booked to fight Canadian featherweight Gavin Tucker. Since the cancellation, Quarantillo hasn’t heard anything about a rebooking. However, the UFC has made it their priority to rebook fighters who had been previously scheduled. Quarantillo hopes he gets a call soon.
“We basically (told the UFC) at the end of May looks good – or June,” Quarantillo said. “We still wanted to be matched up with Gavin, but we basically said we’ll fight whoever at this point. I know a lot of fighters are hungry to fight. I haven’t fought since Dec. 7. This is one of the longest layoffs I’ve had.
“… They haven’t told us anything. They haven’t confirmed any matchup with Gavin, yet. They haven’t told us that I’m fighting in May or June yet. I’m just staying ready. I’m doing everything I can to stay ready to fight. If it’s Gavin or if it’s someone else, I’m going to ready to go. I can’t wait to get that phone call.”
Check out MMA Junkie’s full interview with Quarantillo below:
