The Coronavirus Chronicles: Billy Quarantillo

Billy Quarantillo was one of many fighters that had their April booking postponed after the Ultimate Fighting Championship was forced to indefinitely halt plans for upcoming events. Yet despite the loss of a pay day and having no idea when he will fight next, the New York native understands the decision may not be just in the best interest of him, but for many around the country as well.

“At the end, of the day we’re independent contractors. Technically, 30-percent of my [2020] salary was on April 25,” Quarantillo told Sherdog. “We’re losing out on a lot of money. We’re going to have but so many chances to fight, [however] I think it would have been a watered-down version. Because none of us were training at our highest potentials. To me, we wouldn’t have been able to cut weight [optimally]. My weight-cut would have been way different. I wasn’t able to get the sparring partners. I was basically training in a garage. So, let’s push this thing back a few weeks. No one else is doing anything either, but we’re in a different position because I think we can come back before all these other sports. But where things are at right now, especially in New York, New Jersey, and those areas, it might not be a bad time to let this thing cool down a little and put on some big shows when we’re allowed to.”

In his conversation with Sherdog, the 31-year old spoke about the difficulty of training the last few weeks as gyms at home in Florida, and around the country, are closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. He explained his multi-layered concerns for weight-cutting at this time, if the postponed booking will be a hit to his financial situation, and if he feels a sense of relief that the fight is off. Quarantillo also spoke on his debut win in December, experiencing his first fight week as a UFC roster member and how he has kept busy during a stay-at-home mandate.