‘My bad’… Billy Quarantillo breaks silence after shock KO loss to 41-year-old veteran at UFC Tampa

On By Littum

Billy Quarantillo has spoken out following his loss at UFC Tampa.

The always entertaining featherweight veteran was widely expected to win over 41-year-old former challenger Cub Swanson at the Amalie Arena in Florida on Saturday night.

Billy Quarantillo entered a fight that earned him a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus, but ended up with him on the receiving end of a vicious KO.

Swanson rolled back the years to score a third-round walk-off finish at UFC Tampa.

(RL) Cub Swanson beats Billy Quarantillo in a featherweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Amalie Arena on December 14, 2024 in Tampa...
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Billy Quarantillo speaks out after UFC Tampa loss

Quarantillo originally took to X — formerly known as Twitter — to break his silence after suffering two straight losses for the first time.

“F***… my bad you had a good time in there,” he tweeted.

Two hours later, the 36-year-old shared a video to his Instagram story.

It showed him in the back of a car on his way out to his post-fight party.

“Thanks for the support. I’m fine. I got caught, it happens,” Quarantillo said.

“It was a good game. Shoutout to Cub, he’s an OG in the sport.

“I’m with the crew right now and we’re heading to The Blind Goat for a quick drink. Hope to see you there.

“Again, thanks for the support. I’m fine. I’ll think about it and come back stronger.”

Quarantillo added another message to his story after finding out he had cashed in a bonus in a loss.

He wrote: “Still standing but part of the sport thanks Tampa I love you.”

Cub Swanson teases retirement

Cub Swanson suggested he might be done fighting at UFC Tampa.

‘Killer’ has a legendary career in his rearview mirror, having picked up famous victories over former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and perennial contender Dustin Poirier when he was at the peak of his powers.

Swanson has also shared the Octagon with Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Max Holloway and Frankie Edgar during his 44 bouts in the sport.

“I kind of told my wife this could be the last one, so we’ll see,” Swanson said during his post-fight interview with UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping.

“I’m a little old, guys. I want to say that I appreciate you letting a 40-year-old father come out here and entertain you.”

He added in the post-fight press conference: “I’ll always be tempted (to fight again). We’ll see how I get healthy. I’ve got three little kids who are getting a little bit older and definitely want my attention more.

“I have a bunch of fighters. My team ‘Bloodline,’ the guys I manage and train, I’ve put a lot of effort into them and these last few fights have really given me the opportunity to show them how to do it. Not just talk about it, I was able to be about it, show them and lead by example.

“I’m honestly more excited to be a coach at this point. I love the sport and the nice thing about being on the other side of the cage is that I don’t go home with lumps and bruises.

“It could definitely be a storybook ending. Yeah, it would have to be something exciting to get me motivated (to fight again).

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