Billy Quarantillo
The 37-year-old American returns to the octagon for the first time since late 2024 and moves back up to lightweight. In his last bout, he was knocked out by Cub Swanson, while before that he was submitted with a choke by Youssef Zalal — so ‘Billy Q’ comes into this fight on a run of two stoppage defeats. Quarantillo is a finisher: eight of his 18 victories have come by knockout and another five by submission. He is aggressive, presses forward and gets stronger as the fight progresses, while he also has solid wrestling and decent jiu-jitsu to complement his striking. His weak point is his defence: Billy often comes forward with his hands down, leaving himself open to counterpunches. In the upcoming bout, Quarantillo will surely take the initiative, pressure his opponent and look for a standing stoppage.
Diego Ferreira
The 41-year-old Brazilian is a UFC veteran and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Over time, he has developed from a grappler into a well-rounded fighter with solid boxing, but his foundation remains the same — he has seven submission wins in his career. Ferreira throws less often but more accurately, fights economically and is dangerous on the counter. However, he has become more vulnerable with age: Alexander Hernandez and Gregor Gillespie have stopped him with strikes, so the Brazilian no longer has the same durability. In this bout, it makes sense for Ferreira to fight on the back foot: pick off the advancing Quarantillo with accurate single shots and take the fight to the ground, where his jiu-jitsu can shine.
Billy Quarantillo vs Diego Ferreira Prediction
We have two veteran finishers, each capable of striking and grappling. Quarantillo has finished three of his last four fights and charges forward with his chin exposed, while Ferreira is dangerous both on the feet with his heavy hands and on the ground with his jiu-jitsu — and has himself been getting knocked out increasingly often of late. Both are used to pushing for the finish, so there is little to suggest a lengthy fight: the high pace, exchanges and defensive vulnerabilities on both sides make an early finish the most likely scenario.
