UFC on ESPN 26 video: Billy Quarantillo scores unusual TKO, stops Gabriel Benitez from back control

Billy Quarantillo made sure to bounce back strong from his first setback in the UFC.

The featherweight fighter picked up a TKO win over veteran Gabriel Benitez in the opening bout of the UFC on ESPN 26 main card. The event went down on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nev. Quarantillo’s stoppage win came at the 3:40 mark of round three.

After a dominant performance, @BillyQMMA gets the stoppage in Round 3 #UFCVegas31 pic.twitter.com/c9cxZzF53m

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 18, 2021

It was an unusual TKO win, as Quarantillo got the referee to call the fight following a wave of strikes thrown from bottom back control. Benitez had his back taken, but was pressing Quarantillo back and not letting him get top position. The stoppage came after an exciting two rounds where Quarantillo delivered a good amount of damage, battering the Mexican fighter.

With the result, Quarantillo is back on the win column following his first loss in the UFC last December. He suffered a decision loss to Gavin Tucker. The 32-year-old called out Charles Rosa in his post-fight interview, as he looks to climb the featherweight ladder.

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC on ESPN 26 include:

• Billy Quarantillo def. Gabriel Benitez via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:40
• Daniel Rodriguez def. Preston Parsons via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:47
• Amanda Lemos def. Montserrat Conejo via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:35
• Sergey Morozov def. Khalid Taha via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Malcolm Gordon def. Francisco Figueiredo via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Rodrigo Nascimento def. Alan Baudot via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:29