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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Matt Erickson and Mike Bohn

Billy Quarantillo used ‘TUF,’ Contender Series experience to his advantage at UFC on ESPN 7

WASHINGTON – Billy Quarantillo beat Jacob Kilburn with a second-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, D.C.

Take a look inside the fight with Quarantillo, who picked up a win in his long-awaited UFC debut.

Result: Billy Quarantillo def. Jacob Kilburn via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:18
Updated records: Quarantillo (13-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Kilburn (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stat: Quarantillo won the striking battle a whopping 139-6.

Quarantillo on the fight’s key moment

“I didn’t know if I would stand with him a bit longer because I thought he would try to disengage and strike with me, because that’s where he’s stronger. My conditioning is always on point and I’ve worn out people who had full training camps, so I knew coming in on short notice that I was going to go 100 miles an hour and he would break eventually. I had so much experience coming into this with (Dana White’s) Contender Series and ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ I always tell people being locked in that house for seven weeks is way harder than anything else in this sport. I’m not like your average guy on his first fight – I’ve basically been here before.”

Quarantillo on his first win in the UFC

“It’s amazing to get my first UFC win. I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was 16 or 17 years old, watching ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ I always imagined the walkout, how it would feel to get in there, and luckily I came away with a pretty decisive victory. I couldn’t dream it up any better. I had a feeling I would be able to go out and do that.”

Quarantillo on what he wants next

“The next few weeks, I’m just going to go home and back to the gym, work with my coaches to see where I can get better, and then just see what’s out there. I’m not injured, so I want to fight again in the first quarter – something like March or April would be perfect. I just want to keep climbing up the ladder.”

To hear more from Quarantillo, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

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