Diego Ferreira want to revisit a fight with King Green, one that slipped away at the eleventh hour in 2025, or face another long-time veteran in Jim Miller if he’s victorious against this Saturday at UFC Vegas 120, when he takes on Billy Quarantillo at the Meta APEX.
Green was forced off his UFC 319 clash with Ferreira after sustaining an injury a day before the official weigh-ins, and the Brazilian said his plan is to call him out for a proper fight after he gets through Quarantillo in Las Vegas.
“I was really focused on that fight, and I still want to fight Bobby Green,” Ferreira told MMA Fighting. “First of all, because he’s been fighting and beating everybody, so I hope it happens. If it’s not Bobby Green, then I want to fight Jim Miller. I admire him as well. Just look at how many fights he’s had in the UFC. So I want one of those two. After this fight, I don’t want to wait too long. I want to get right back into the mindset of fighting.”
Ferreira said he’s expected to face Mairbek Taisumov in a grappling match in ACBJJ in the coming months, and then re-enter the octagon as quickly as possible. Ferreira dropped his past two in the UFC against Grant Dawson and Alexander Hernandez. Green, on the other hand, won four straight against the likes of Terrance McKinney and Jeremy Stephens, with Miller also coming off a bonus-winning finish over Jared Gordon.
Ferreira moved on to fight Hernandez less than a month after the Green match-up fell through, and feels that cutting weight twice in a such a short period of time affected his performance. This time, however, Ferreira guarantees “my preparation was 100 percent for this fight.”
Quarantillo will be entering his first lightweight bout in the UFC after 11 octagon appearances as a featherweight, and does so after stoppage defeats to Youssef Zalal and Cub Swanson.
“I’m not focused on the fact that he’s moving up in weight or coming off two losses,” Ferreira said. “I think we’re on the same level in that sense, we’re both coming off two losses. Each of us has our own advantages. He has a lot of holes in his game, and I think I’ll look to exploit them. He won’t have to worry much about making weight, and I’m very focused on that as well.
“He likes to absorb punishment, survive, and try to wear his opponent’s cardio down late in the fight. That’s something I’m paying close attention to. He’s won some good fights so I know he’s dangerous, but I’m going to fight my fight. I have to get to him. I’m not going to lie, I want to beat him and leave with the win. I want to stay in the UFC a little longer. I was even thinking, ‘Let’s see what happens.’ But no. You know what? I have to stick around a little longer. I’ve still got some dreams to accomplish.”
Ferreira will celebrate his 42nd birthday in January, and admits he went back and forth with retirement thoughts after his most recent setbacks.
“I’m turning 42. Not many people make it to this age still fighting in the UFC,” Ferreira said. “My coach started talking to me and said, ‘I don’t think it’s time yet. I think you’ve still got a lot left in the tank. I want you to go out there, chase what you want, and we’ll see what happens.’ I still have some dreams I want to accomplish, so I’m fully focused. I’m not going to say I’ll get back into the top 15 because it’s difficult, but it’s not impossible. I want to get a taste of fighting the top 10 again.”
“The last time I put together six or seven straight wins in the UFC, I was close to a title shot,” he continued. “At the time, I had no idea what level I had reached or what was happening in my life. To me, every fight was just another fight. After I lost my spot in the rankings, I started thinking, ‘Man, I was close to fighting for the belt.’ I’m not saying I was at Charles Oliveira’s level, but we were both in that race to see who would get there first. I think that’s still something I want to accomplish.”
