Preview: UFC 256 Prelims

IT’S OVER!!@gavintucker6 seals the deal in R3!! #UFCVegas6 pic.twitter.com/PwUKTZWKfR

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) August 8, 2020

Featherweights

NR | Billy Quarantillo (15-2, 3-0 UFC) vs. NR | Gavin Tucker (12-1, 3-1 UFC)

ODDS: Quarantillo (-130), Tucker (+110)

Quarantillo continues to take the toughest path to victory inside of the UFC, but that is all part of the plan. Quarantillo leverages his durability and gas tank by constantly pressuring his opponents and initiating exchanges in the hopes that he will outlast them. Jacob Kilburn did not have much of a chance from the jump, but Spike Carlyle and Kyle Nelson gave Quarantillo some tough first rounds before he pulled out wins. It has been an impressive trick to pull off, but Carlyle and Nelson clearly fade over time. Now comes a tougher test. Tucker showed some promise as a prospect upon his UFC debut in 2017, but things quickly got derailed in his sophomore effort against Rick Glenn, which turned into a career-threatening beating due to some referee negligence. While Tucker was on the shelf for the next two years, he apparently put the time to good use, developing a previously unseen wrestling game and generally looking like a much more prepared fighter under duress. Quarantillo is Tucker’s toughest test since his return and should shed some light on the true extent of those improvements. If there is a trace of the old Tucker left, Quarantillo is exactly the man to put the Canadian out of his comfort zone and tire him out. Given what Tucker has shown so far, he should manage to hold his own in terms of grappling, emerge as the much more precise hitter and prevent the fight from turning in Quarantillo’s favor. The pick is Tucker via decision.

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