At Fury Pro Grappling 3, Billy Quarantillo has designs on ending his 2021 combat sports year by making UFC Hall-of-Famer Clay Guida tap.
Quaratillo, 33, has built his UFC brand as a tough and durable scrapper over six appearances in the Octagon. During his run in the promotion, whenever he has used his grappling, it’s been a means to inflict more damage on opponents. Not necessarily a chance to showcase the black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills he does have in his arsenal.
Well, on Dec. 30 he will get an opportunity to show off what UFC fans have been missing when he faces Guida (37-21) in a 170-pound grappling bout on UFC Fight Pass. Although Quarantillo (16-4) has been a BJJ practitioner for over a decade and trains in it every day, he wasn’t on the hunt to take part in any grappling events. However, when executives at CFFC — the promotion that runs Fury Pro Grappling — reached out to him about facing “The Carpenter” at their third event, he did not need much convincing.
Billy Quarantillo says the chance to face a ‘legend’ in Clay Guida at Fury Pro Grappling 3 was an easy decision
“Just like any fight fan, I was instantly intrigued because I’ve been a fan of Clay Guida for a very long time,” Quarantillo told MixedMartialArts.com. “After [his fight in November] they kept messaging me. We worked out a deal pretty quick. Going against a guy like that, I don’t know if I would have been as excited to go against a random jiu-jitsu guy or someone else in the UFC without such a big name. I’ve been following him forever. Even though he’s only seven years older than me, I feel like I’ve been following him for what feels like my whole life.”
Quarantillo views this opportunity as a return to his roots. It was BJJ that originally drew him into combat sports and then eventually on to MMA. And he is looking forward to showing off some abilities that some of his newer fans may be surprised that he has.
“I knew how to fight a little bit [when he was younger], I knew how to throw punches, but when I first learned how to do some submissions off my back, that’s what really got me into MMA. It’s kind of going back to my roots,” he says. “I’m no slouch on the ground. I think people are going to be impressed with my skill set because I don’t get to show it a lot in the UFC. Especially, when we’re getting into these dog fights with these strikers. I think it’s gonna be a great matchup. Clay’s a legend. He’s a very good wrestler and I’m a very good black belt. I submit people every day at the gym.”
Quarantillo on Guida clash: ‘I think I have the advantage with pure grappling‘
Guida has built a successful fight career off his tenacious wrestling, and unlimited gas tank. However, “Billy Q” believes his pure submission grappling can counter both of those challenges. The Buffalo native doesn’t want to try and match Guida’s wild pace despite believing he has the cardio to do so. No, he expects slow and steady to win this race. He plans on taking advantage of some mistakes and bringing a quick end to Guida’s night inside the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.
“I think I have the advantage with pure grappling. It’s not a wrestling match. I’ve been a black belt for two years now. I’ve been doing jiu-jitsu since 2010 [and] I’ve never been submitted in a fight. He’s got a lot of weapons for me to worry about too. His pressure, his pace, his wrestling. I’m using my A plan, by B plan, my C, whatever it takes to go in there and get a win and get a submission,” said Quarantillo. “That’s what the fans want to see. They don’t want to see us go to a decision.
“My cardio is no slouch either. I feel like I have a really good gas tank. but I don’t really want to match his pace. It’s a jiu-jitsu match and [when] high-level jiu-jitsu guys move, they’re not really wasting energy. Wrestling’s a little different. In wrestling, you do push that pace. I’m not trying to match his million miles per hour pace. What I’m gonna do is be smarter with my movements and I’m gonna find a mistake that he makes. There’s a lot of ways to win this match. I’m not going there to lose. I don’t sign up for anything to lose,” he added. “And I’m going there 100% looking for the submission and early finish.”
You can save your points, Quarantillo is out to get taps and lock up chokes on Dec. 30
Going out and looking for a finish isn’t just tough talk to hype up his bout. That is just the nature of how Quarantillo competes. Be it in the Octagon or on the mats. Even when he was out competing in tournaments as he honed his BJJ skills years ago, he was not a points fighter. Honestly, he doesn’t even fully get how to score points in a grappling tournament.
“I don’t even understand the decision rules. Like most grappling tournaments, I kind of get the points. I used to do a lot of grappling matches coming up the ranks, but I never gave a sh*t about the points,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t really care about the points. We’re both going in there to get a submission. It’s gonna be exciting. I have every intention of submitting him and I think that’s what’s gonna happen.
Fury Pro Grappling 3 takes place on Thursday, Dec. 30, and will air on UFC Fight Pass at 7:30 PM ET.