Cub Swanson landed a stunning third round KO victory over Billy Quarantillo tonight at UFC On ESPN 63.
Round One:
Body kick for Quarantillo and Swanson responds with a leg kick. Right hand from Swanson. Leg kick from Quarantillo.
Right hand for Swanson. He lands another and a kick behind it. Punch for Quarantillo. Quarantillo lands a nice counter left as Swanson pressed forward.
Step-in right hand from Swanson. Body kick for him. He gets in with a right hand. Now a calf kick. Front kick to the body from Quarantillo. Body punch from Swanson. He gets caught with a left hand from Quarantillo though. Swanson quickly regroups and looks to fire back.
Now it’s Quarantillo who steps in and lands a nice punch. Quarantillo working the right hand. Leg kick for Quarantillo. Now one from Swanson. Jumping knee to the body from Quarantillo. He lands a leg kick. Swanson punches the body. Right hand again for Swanson. Jabs from Quarantillo. Quick punches land for Swanson.
Left hand for Quarantillo. Low kick for him. Hard three-piece series from Quarantillo gets Swanson’s attention.
Inside leg kick for Quarantillo. Swanson gets aggressive with a punch and Quarantillo responds in kind and got the better of that exchange and Swanson has a little cut to the nose.
Quarantillo working a takedown attempt against the cage late in the round.
Round Two:
Good calf kick for Swanson. Low kick for Quarantillo and then looks for punches. Body punch from Quarantillo. Swanson with a punch, but then Quarantillo catches him with a right hand counter.
Quarantillo in on a takedown now against the cage. He quickly gives up on that. Swanson lands a right hand and then follows up with two more as he presses forward. Quarantillo clinches up and lands a punch before letting go.
Right hand for Swanson. Big knee from Quarantillo in response that definitely hurt. Quarantillo presses Swanson up against the cage. He lets go and lands a few strikes.
Back to striking range now. Jab for Swanson. Another clinch situation as Quarantillo walks Swanson over to the cage.
Quarantillo gets the double-leg takedown. Swanson straight back up. Quarantillo has his back now. He lets go and punches instead.
Back to the center of the cage. They start trading strikes in close. Swanson with punches and a kick. Quarantillo presses forward with a big knee and then works a takedown. Bit of a 50/50 position, but Quarantillo adjusts. Swanson gets upright but Quarantillo stays clinched up against the cage.
Back to striking range as the round draws to a close.
Round Three:
Quarantillo punches to the body. Jab for Swanson. Another body punch for Quarantillo. Head kick gets through for Swanson, but not hard enough to trouble Quarantillo.
Low kicks for Quarantillo. Body punch from Swanson. Hard right hand from Quarantillo. Combination from Swanson. Low kick for Swanson.
Quarantillo in on a takedown against the cage now. He’s working for a single-leg but Swanson slips out of it.
Punches landing for Quarantillo. Right hands from Swanson. Swanson fires off a left hook followed by a powerful straight right and KO’s Quarantillo, leaving him flat out on the canvas in the center of the Octagon at 1.36mins of the third round!
What a great finish from Swanson at 41-years young and afterwards he stops just short of confirming his retiring, admitting that he’d told his wife he might, but then added, “we’ll see.” If it was to be his last Octagon appearance then it’s a perfect end to a highly respected career.
