Billy Quarantillo was hoping for higher billing on UFC 282, but sees it as a big opportunity either way.
Quarantillo (16-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) meets Alexander Hernandez (13-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) on Dec. 10 at T-Mobile Arena – his first event in front of a Las Vegas crowd.
With the card featuring the likes of 17-year-old sensation Raul Rosas Jr. and rising star Paddy Pimblett, Quarantillo understands his placement on the early prelims, but plans on standing out himself with a good showing against Hernandez.
“I definitely think we can steal the show, or one of those fights, they could bump up if anyone pulls out,” Quarantillo told MMA Junkie Radio. “But either way, they pay me the same whether it’s the prelims or the main card, so I just need to go out there and make a statement, get a statement win, go get two or three paychecks and come home to my family and enjoy this holiday season.”
Although Quarantillo lost his past outing to Shane Burgos at UFC 268, he took a lot of positives from their back-and-forth fight.
“I think this last loss against Shane Burgos, it was just a really tough fight,” Quarantillo said. “I felt like it was such a close fight. It’s unfortunate that I wasn’t able to take him out and finish him, but I think I can take a lot from those losses. The Gavin Tucker loss and the Shane Burgos loss, I can take a lot from that and help myself moving forward – take those losses and learn from them and get back on that winning track, because I definitely feel like I have that same fire that I had when I first got in the UFC.”
