Featherweight fighters Billy Quarantillo and Kyle Nelson will kick off the main card of the UFC’s penultimate fight card at the UFC Apex. Both fighters will enter their seventeenth professional fight at UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs Hill and have claimed wins in their previous encounters.
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‘The Monster’ Kyle Nelson hasn’t competed in almost twelve months since securing an opening-round TKO win against Marco Polo Reyes. Now, his return will be in unique circumstances. It remains to be seen how he will fight with no audience in the arena.
His opponent, Billy Quarantillo, is on a seven-fight win streak and is unbeaten in the UFC. He has the experience of fighting behind closed doors and has a match under his belt at the UFC Apex’s 25-foot octagon.
UFC Fight Night: Billy Quarantillo vs Kyle Nelson – Fight Analysis
Billy Quarantillo’s UFC stats show that he is one to go for a KO. If he fails, he convinces the judges he was the busier and aggressive fighter. In two UFC fights, he landed 123 strikes at a rate of 7.43 significant strikes per minute at an astonishing 79% accuracy.
He absorbed 2.82 strikes per minute and avoided 43% of his opponents’ significant strike attempts. This gives fans the understanding that Quarantillo is relentless and clinical.
Hence, Nelson’s chances look bleak as he absorbed an insane 6.35 significant strikes per minute in the UFC. That is a high number. It looks even worse when one considers the punishment his opponent has doled out in the past.
The Canadian fighter’s hopes of securing a win dwindle after we look at the takedown statistics of both fighters. Nelson has a 16% takedown accuracy against Quarantillo’s 54% takedown defense. Also, the Florida native lands 42% of takedowns, but he can nullify the 50% takedown defense by catching Nelson off guard.
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Billy Quarantillo will achieve this with ease if he follows the pattern of his previous UFC fights. Nelson’s only hope is that his switch stance could throw him off. However, these are some of the best fighters in the world, and stance is the first and foremost thing they prepare for.
This fight is Billy Quarantillo’s to lose and ‘The Monster’ can enter the octagon with no pressure. In doing so, he may shock the world.
Prediction: Billy Quarantillo to win via a first-round TKO
