Quarantillo Reveals Knee Surgery Behind 19-Month UFC Absence

Billy Quarantillo returns to the cage Saturday at UFC Vegas 120 after a 19-month layoff caused by knee surgery and a necessary move to lightweight.

The 37-year-old featherweight last fought at UFC Tampa in 2024, where Cub Swanson stopped him in the third round. He then vanished from the roster, missing the entirety of 2025 and half of this year. The reason, he told MMA Mania: a combination of knee reconstruction and weight-cutting problems that left him no choice but to abandon the 145-pound division.

Why Quarantillo Left Featherweight

Quarantillo said the cuts from around 175 pounds had become unsustainable. Before his fight with Youssef Zalal, he made weight but spent the night vomiting. Against Swanson, the process drained him so badly he never recovered by fight night. "I just never felt normal again," he said, per MMA Mania. "Even going over to the venue, I felt drained. After that, the decision had to be made because I couldn't keep doing this to my body."

He underwent knee surgery last year, then spent months in rehab before committing to the lightweight move. "I'm older, but I'm big and stronger than ever before," Quarantillo said. "So yeah, it's been a long layoff, and I'm just happy to be here."

Quarantillo faces Diego Ferreira in the UFC Vegas 120 co-main event on Saturday at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Both men are known for violent finishes. Quarantillo is on a two-fight skid by stoppage, but the weight relief and restored knee could make him a different fighter at 155 pounds. He turns 38 in December.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — It’s been 19 months since we last saw UFC Vegas 120’s Billy Quarantillo … so where did he go?