Max Quinones undaunted by recent setback heading into CFFC 130: 'I still believe the flyweight division is mine for taking'

"The Candyman" sees September loss as wake-up call and promises to deliver domination at Friday's event on UFC FIGHT PASS.

Fast-rising flyweight prospect Max Quinones could do no wrong through the first four bouts of his professional career, going undefeated and bagging three stoppage victories along the way. However, "The Candyman" saw that massive momentum halted in September, suffering an unexpected decision loss to a gritty Israel Galvan at CFFC 123.

Quinones admits it was a disappointing moment but says he moved quickly past the result.

"Just another learning experience, you know what I mean?" Quinones explained. "I've been through worse things in life than a little supervised fight, and one little slip up can change the whole dynamic of things, so that's just another perspective to keep in mind. I'm just fine tuning the things I already know, and we just constantly drill, rehearse and try to critique every little bit that we can, and it's just on to the next one."

Quinones certainly isn't minimizing the frustration of the setback. However, the perspective he's gained from once being told his fighting career was done following a car accident has helped him put things into proper perspective. Learn the lessons, get better, and restart the upward trajectory.

Moving forward, Quinones knows that his defensive wrestling skills will be questioned, but he also points to the nasty cut he received at the end of the opening round with Galvan as a real factor in how the rest of the contest played out.

"It's just about going back to the roots," Quinones said. "It's not that I was lacking the wrestling side of things; it's just that first round I wasn't able to defend that first takedown, and then going to the second and third round, I couldn't see – but unlike Michael Bisping, he's used to seeing with one eye. I wasn't used to that dynamic, so the blood just dried up in my eyes so fast to where it was like, man, definitely an adjustment. 

"Also, it's just being more on the reactive kind of deal if someone is into my hips and things of that nature, and then getting off of my back at the same token, as well – so just fine tuning the grappling even more so."

Quinones was so hungry to improve after the result, he admits he rushed back to the gym, though he quickly realized the mistake of his ways when the slash on his forehead started oozing again.

"The doctor said for every day, it's 1 percent better up until the scar is healed, so I mean, within the first week after it happened, it scabbed up, and my dumb ass decided to go back to the gym, and it reopened a little bit," Quinones said. "Then I took the time to slow it down and stuff like that. It wasn't leaking or anything crazy, but the scab just reopened, and I had to re-glue it, and then within like a week, it sealed up, and then we just kept on going after it from there. 

"It's been, I wouldn't say training camp since I was able to get on board, but at the same token, we've just been guns blazing ever since then, so we've just been getting after it and trying to redeem ourselves for the last one."

Quinones (4-1) gets that opportunity when he takes on a returning Jhimuel Natividad (3-2) in the co-main event of Friday's CFFC 130, which streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS from Tampa's Florida State Fairgrounds.

Natividad impressed in his CFFC debut and now looks to build on that success against Quinones, who will certainly enter the contest with a bit of a chip on his shoulder just ahead of Galvan competing in the night's main event with the CFFC flyweight title on the line.

Quinones knows with a win in his last outing, it could have been him getting that opportunity.

"I didn't realize that if you win that fight, you get a title shot," Quinones said. "I thought it would have been at least one more, at least in my books, but at the end of the day, it doesn't really change anything. I mean we've still got to come out and perform in order to keep coming back to CFFC. I've got to keep showing up and showing out, and that's what I plan on doing."

It won't take much for Quinones to regain the momentum he held prior to his recent outing. With an exciting fighting style in the cage and incredibly likable personality, as well, victory will get things moving back in the right direction.

But victory just isn't enough for Quinones at this point. He wants more.

"I want domination and to just not give a f-ck and to make it nasty," Quinones said. "I was willing to get nasty in that last fight. The blood was dripping over me like I was in a movie, like 'Carrie' or something, but at the end of the day, I want to reciprocate that to someone else, and I truly believe that it was a wake-up call, because I have been through much, much worse adversities and things in life to where I'm just grateful to be able to step back in the cage again.

"Just be ready for an exciting show come Friday. Tickets are going to be sold out, so get them quick because 'Candyman' is going to put on a show, and I'm the true main event of this card."