Billy Quarantillo has spoken out following his loss at UFC Tampa.
The always-entertaining featherweight veteran was widely expected to get a win over 41-year-old former contender Cub Swanson at the Amalie Arena in Florida on Saturday night.
Billy Quarantillo got into a brawl that earned him a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus but ended with him on the receiving end of a vicious KO.
Swanson rolled back the years to score a walk-off finish in the third round at UFC Tampa.
Billy Quarantillo speaks out after UFC Tampa loss
Quarantillo initially took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to break his silence after suffering two losses in a row for the first time.
“F***… my bad y’all felt good 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 heading out to his post-fight party.
“Thanks for the support. I’m fine. I got caught, it happens,” Quarantillo said.
“It was a good fight. Shoutout to Cub, he’s an OG of the sport.
“I’m with the crew right now and we are heading to The Blind Goat for one quick drink. I hope to see you guys there.
“Again, thanks for the support. I’m fine. I’ll do some thinking and come back stronger.”
Quarantillo added another message to his story after finding out he’d banked a bonus in defeat.
He wrote: “Still stings but part of the sport, thanks Tampa I love you.”
Cub Swanson teases retirement
Cub Swanson suggested he may be done with fighting at UFC Tampa.
‘Killer’ has a legendary career in his rearview mirror after picking up famous wins over former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and perennial contender Dustin Poirier when he was at the peak of his power.
Swanson has also shared the Octagon with Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Max Holloway, and Frankie Edgar during his 44-fight run in the sport.
“I kind of told my wife that this might be the last one, so we’ll see,” Swanson said during his post-fight interview with UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping.
“I’m kind of old, guys. I want to say I appreciate you letting a 40-year-old dad come out here and entertain you.”
He added in the post-fight press conference: “I’m always gonna be tempted [to fight again]. We’ll see how I heal up. I’ve got three little kids who are getting a little bit older and definitely want my attention more.
“I’ve got a bunch of fighters. My team ‘Bloodline’, the guys I manage and coach, I put a lot of effort into them, and these past couple of fights have really allowed me 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 am 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 I don’t go home with lumps and bruises.
“That could definitely be a storybook ending. Yeah, it’s going to have to be something exciting to get me motivated [to fight again].”