Knockouts don’t come much cleaner than what this UFC 319 star produced in Kansas City.
The Octagon is back in Chicago for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, as the UFC gears up to stage its latest pay-per-view event from United Center in the ‘Windy City’ this Saturday.
All eyes will be on the UFC 319 main event, as Khamzat Chimaev challenges Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title. But the headline matchup is far from the only intriguing pairing on the August 16 lineup.
Among the other prominent names set to compete are Michael ‘Venom’ Page, Carlos Prates, Kai Asakura, and Jessica Andrade, all of whom fans hope will bring about some memorable action inside the cage at UFC 319.
But when it comes to the best chance of delivering a highlight for the ages on Saturday, a different undercard fighter perhaps has the best history…
- UFC 319 THROWBACK: Dricus du Plessis once did ‘reconstructive surgery’ with a devastating knee that caved in UFC opponent’s nose
UFC 319’s Edson Barboza once flattened Billy Quarantillo with a devastating knee
Edson Barboza’s résumé is not short on devastating knockouts, from his spinning wheel kick against Terry Etim to his beatdown of Dan Hooker. And even as he approaches the age of 40, the Brazilian’s recent years have still featured similarly brutal results.
After Barboza’s scary KO against Shane Burgos in 2021, he later bounced back from a two-fight losing skid at UFC Kansas City in 2023. While ‘Hurricane’ was the victim of a rare delayed knockout, there was no pause between strike and unconsciousness for Billy Quarantillo.
After a strong first round for the American, things came to a sudden and violent halt in round two when Barboza slept Quarantillo with a perfect knee.
The brutal result netted Barboza his second-ever ‘Performance of the Night’ check, and after consecutive ‘Fight of the Night’ wars since, the Brazilian’s total bonus tally is now 12.
He will look to add to that at UFC 319, where Barboza will return to lightweight to face Drakkar Klose on the preliminary card.
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Edson Barboza was praised for yet another UFC highlight-reel moment
The Quarantillo KO went viral and drew out plenty of reactions from MMA fans, fighters, and analysts, all of whom were in awe of Barboza’s ability to continue delivering the goods late on in his career.
And there was one common word used to describe the performance — “vintage.”
“Wow, Edson Barboza turns in a vintage performance against Billy Quarantillo.”
“OMG!!!! Edson Barboza with the knee right up the middle and he just FLATTENS Billy Quarantillo.”
“Vintage Edson Barboza! What a knee finish on Quarantillo. Man is still violence after all these years.”
“Human highlight reel.”
“Woah, an absolute sniper of a knee knocks out Billy Quarantillo. Even after all these years, Edson Barboza is adding to the highlight reel.”
“Vintage Edson Barboza with a savage, picture perfect knee.”
“Shadow realmed.”
“Edson Barboza is a beast.”
“Turns back the clock with a knee from hell.”
“Edson Barboza still got a lot left in the tank!”