Preview: UFC on ESPN 50 Prelims

Featherweights

Billy Quarantillo (17-5, 5-3 UFC) vs. Damon Jackson (22-5-1, 5-3-1 UFC)

ODDS: Quarantillo (-175), Jackson (+145)

This should be one of the highlights of the card, as two all-action featherweights square off. Quarantillo took the long road to the UFC, going through stints on “The Ultimate Fighter” and Dana White’s Contender Series before finally earning a contract in 2019. He came to the UFC with a clear and focused approach, swamping his opponents with pressure offense and wrestling while leaning on his durability. Quarantillo might absorb a ton of damage in the process, but his iron chin and endless gas tank have made his gambit pay off more often than not, breaking his opponents at some point within 15 minutes. Even as Quarantillo has racked up wins and established himself just outside the UFC’s featherweight rankings, making the jump to true contender has been difficult to pull off. Shane Burgos managed to hang with Quarantillo every step of the way to earn a victory, and Edson Barboza proved that Quarantillo is actually mortal in April, cracking him with a knockout knee after just two and a half minutes of action. Normally this is the point where Quarantillo takes a step back in competition for a few more easy wins to work his way back up the ladder, but instead, he draws a fascinating fight against Jackson—a similar fighter in much the same position. Jackson quickly washed out of the UFC nearly a decade ago and seemed to solidly be on the journeyman path prior to his UFC return, a late-notice spot against Mirsad Bektic in 2020. However, Jackson absorbed a beating and staged a memorable comeback to earn a third-round submission over Bektic and has had a surprisingly successful second act inside of the Octagon with a few highlights, led by a 69-second win over Pat Sabatini in September. Like Quarantillo, Jackson has hit a clear ceiling trying to break into the upper tiers of the UFC’s deep featherweight bench. He put in some good efforts against Ilia Topuria and Dan Ige but never worked his way into either fight and got quickly dispatched as a result. It is hard to know what to make of this one since both fighters look to leverage pace and aggression to wear out their opponents and make up for any athletic disadvantages. What happens when neither man tires? Jackson is the more flammable fighter, so if anyone wins this fight in an instant amid the chaos, it will be Quarantillo. However, Quarantillo typically hits more of a wall during the run of play. He can get stalled out when he does not have a clear wrestling advantage, which might be the case here, and generally needs to rely more on finding a breaking point to take over; Jackson’s fights usually have a dynamic that is established from the jump. Neither man is really capable of a truly dominant win, so this should be a nip-tuck affair. The pick is for Jackson to eke out the decision.

Continue Reading »
Phillips vs. Barcelos
Wells vs. Harris
Quarantillo vs. Jackson
Hadley vs. Durden
Woodson vs. Buzukja
Almabaev vs. Osbourne