TAMPA, Fla. — UFC featherweight (145 lbs.) Billy Quarantillo has a lot on his plate. His wife is expecting their second child in the next couple of weeks, he's preparing for a fight this weekend, and he's taken on a new role of running a business.
Quarantillo recently purchased the Gracie Pac MMA gym from a friend, and he's moving full speed ahead as an entrepreneur.
"I'd say the biggest surprise is the day-to-day. Now this happened. Now this happened. What’s up with this?! The taxes, the contracts, the liability forms, the insurance. All that stuff," Quarantillo said. "I’m super-blessed to be in this position, and it’s only the beginning."
Having two full-time jobs is a lot to handle, but Billy said he wouldn't have it any other way.
"It's the type of busy that I’ve always wanted. I’ve always wanted to be a gym owner. I always wanted to be a businessperson," he added. "And, of course, I always wanted to be in the UFC. That’s my dream job."
Quarantillo's fellow coaches, like Brandon Connor, said the new boss is as hands-on in the gym as he is in his training.
"He’s here every day. He asks questions. If we have any thoughts and our opinions," Connor explained prior to a training session. "He asks us what we think, also, not just what he thinks and what he wants to do."
"Billy Q" is 35, which makes him an elder statesman in the UFC. But he didn't start training full-time until he was 21, so he still has plenty of gas left in the tank.
"I’m 25, he’s older than me," Connor said when describing what it's like to train with Quarantillo. "I’m like, 'How are you pushing me to my limits and still have more?' I’m very impressed with coach Billy."
"I still feel like I’m in my mid-20s again. I feel great," Billy added. "I take good care of my body. I eat super-clean. I do all the recovery sessions. And I’m really just smart with my training."
Quarantillo's preparing for the second fight of a four-fight contract extension he received from the UFC. But he, like every fighter, knows he can't fight forever. When he does step away from the octagon, Billy said his goal is to coach a UFC champion.
"After my fighting career is over, I look forward to taking on that challenge of bringing up a UFC fighter, a champion," he said when describing what it's like being a coach. "Whoever it’s going to be, and I’m hoping it’s going to be a bunch of guys, but that’s what we’re working towards."
Billy Q has plenty of fights left, and he wants to make a run at being a top-ten featherweight title contender.
"Every time I fight, I think it’s must-see TV," he said with a smile. "I just want to have the most exciting fight possible, and, of course, get my hand raised, and head on back to Tampa."
Quarantillo (18-5) is in the lineup for Saturday's UFC Fight Night on ESPN. The main card begins at 10 P.M. at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
