PARIS – Cristian Quinonez’ win at UFC Fight Night 209 was quick, but he didn’t come out unscathed.
Quinonez (17-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) scored a first-round TKO win over Khalid Taha this past Saturday at Accor Arena. It was a near-flawless performance from the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate, whose main takeaway from the fight was simple.
“An obvious one is to close my fist better, because I broke it,” Quinonez told reporters through an interpreter. “After that I need to see the fight and of course I will learn and make adjustments.”
He continued, “I feel very complete, because it was my goal. I knew when I first stepped in the cage, I’m going to start being a problem in the division.”
Quinonez took the fight on less than two weeks’ notice after Tala’s original opponent, Taylor Lapilus, had to withdraw. The Mexican fighter was last to weigh-in but is still open to taking short-notice fights in the future.
“Me personally, I can fight short notice or on three months’ notice,” Quinonez said. “But that decision I make with my team and to make a smart one, but I can fight both.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 209.
