Billy Quarantillo impressed tonight at UFC On ESPN 26 with a high-octane display of striking and grappling that left Gabriel Benitez bloodied, and eventually beaten, by TKO in the final round.
Round One:
Inside leg kick from Quarantillo to start and then looks for another as Benitez tries to counter with a punch. Benitez landing his leg kick now too.
Quarantillo starting aggressively here as he works punches and more leg kicks. Benitez with a good body kick. Quarantillo stays active and lands a big right hand that floors Benitez!
Quarantillo looking for a finish here and lands some hard ground and pound. Now he takes the back and Benitez is bleeding from a cut above his left eye, while having to now defend off a potential rear-naked choke.
Quarantillo targeting punches and hammerfists to that already bloodied left eye. Benitez trying to punch backwards at times as he lets his opponent know he’s still up for a fight.
A minute of the round remaining and Benitez manages to turn into Quarantillo and get on top. They soon pop back upright and Benitez wants to get to work and get some payback here.
Benitez looking for a guillotine and Quarantillo rolls to escape. Quarantillo scrambling on top and ends the round landing more punches.
Round Two:
Kick for Benitez. Quarantillo wades in with a flying knee and then lands a takedown. Quarantillo takes Benitez’s back and is quickly working for a rear-naked choke in the opening minute of the round.
Benitez fends off the first RNC attempt. Benitez rolls to his knees and stands. Quarantillo still clinched to his back though and lands a good knee upstairs.
Benitez able to escape back to striking range. He lands a punch, but Quarantillo fires back at him and looks to clinch again.
Benitez lands solidly to the body, but Quarantillo gets a takedown soon afterwards. Quarantillo working punches and a nice elbow.
Benitez able to work up to his feet, but Quarantillo lands a knee to the body before they separate, then drives in for another takedown. BEnitez goes for the guillotine and Quarantillo backs up.
Solid punch for Quarantillo. Now he’s back in on the takedown again and Benitez is once again trying for a guillotine, then abandons it and lands a knee to the midsection.
Exchange of punches and then the ref steps in to ask for a doctor to check on Benitez, whose left eye is swelling noticeably. He’s ok to continue though.
Back to it they go and Benitez lands a good punch, but Quarantillo is just relentless with his offense and lands multiple punches and then a kick before the round ends.
Round Three:
Doctor taking another look at Benitez’s eye, but lets the action continue, with the warning that if he takes much more damage the fight should be stopped.
Benitez a little sharper with his punches to start the third round, but Quarantillo of course is firing back. Benitez lands a big punch and drops Quarantillo!
BEnitez follows him down, but it’s not long before they go back up to the feet.
Quarantillo goes on the offense and clinches up. They break apart. Quarantillo misses a few punches as he starts to tire. However, he does muster the energy to drive in and land a takedown in the center of the Octagon.
Quarantillo lands a couple of nice elbows to the head. He goes for the back again and gets it. Quarantillo with the body triangle in and trying to work for a rear-naked choke again.
90 seconds remaining and Quarantillo starts landing repeated blows to the head from his opponent’s back, and given the damage Benitez has already taken in the fight, that’s enough to convince the referee to wave off the fight, giving Billy Q the TKO victory at 3.40mins of the third round.
