Herbert Burns confident he has all advantages over Billy Quarantillo in July UFC fight

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – Herbert Burns thinks Billy Quarantillo is a perfect matchup to regain momentum in the UFC featherweight division.

After back-to-back first-round finishes to start his UFC career, Burns encountered disaster in his third appearance this past June. He fought Daniel Pineda on six days’ notice, missing weight by 3.5 pounds before he was stopped by TKO in the second round.

The result halted Burns’ successful start in MMA’s biggest organization, but he’ll be back at UFC Fight Night on July 17. It’ll be almost exactly 11 months between fights for him, and he’s eager to wipe away the lingering experience of his last fight.

“My last fight, my weight cut wasn’t good (and) my performance wasn’t good,” Burns told MMA Junkie. “But in this sport, you are as good as your last performance, right? So people forgot my last two performances, but this time I will do everything right. I will not rush. I’ll have lots of time to make weight and this time you will see vintage Burns and put on a good performance in there.”

Burns (11-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) said the matchup with Quarantillo (15-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is favorable. He thinks they have similar styles of fighting, but sees his physical attributes and abilities as a notch above.

“We have very similar skills,” Burns said. “I think I’m better than him, but we’re both jiu-jitsu black belts and have striking power. But I believe I’m stronger, faster, and better on the ground. I’m going to show that on July 17.”

If Burns can get his hand raised, he’ll have won three of four in his UFC career. He doesn’t weigh the result with Pineda too heavily because he thinks he would win a rematch, he said. If he gets past Quarantillo, he’ll be looking to keep busy.

“The ideal scenario would be (to) fight, get a good win, then a few fights back-to-back,” Burns said. “I want to fight at least three times this year.”