Cody Brundage and Julian Marquez meet Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 253 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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UFC main cards, 2025: 15-10-1
Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez UFC Fight Night 253 preview
Brundage (10-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) comes in looking for his first victory since December 2023, which was a first-round finish of Zach Reese. Since then, Brundage lost by submission to Bo Nickal, and recorded a no contest against Abdul Razak Alhassan to make for a frustrating 2024 campaign. … Marquez (9-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC) will be in search of his first victory since April 2021, which was a submission of Sam Alvey. Since, Marquez has dropped three straight, all by finish, to Gregory Rodrigues, Marc-Andre Barriault and Zach Reese.
Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez UFC Fight Night 253 expert pick, prediction
Despite my usual disdain for the UFC’s fetish with force-feeding middleweight features that nobody asked for down our throats, I actually feel bad for both Brundage and Marquez for the crap they’re getting in this spot.
Does a fight like Chepe Mariscal vs. Ricardo Ramos deserve this slot over them? Absolutely.
But that doesn’t change the fact that Brundage and Marquez (two unfairly maligned fighters, I might add) have nothing to do with this card’s format. Furthermore, this fight, for what it’s worth, should be an action-packed shit show from start to finish.
I suspect that Brundage gets off to a better start, but he could be in serious trouble if a finish fails to materialize. For that reason, I’ll biasedly pick an underrated Marquez to get back on track with a submission win in Round 2.
Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez UFC Fight Night 253 odds
The oddsmakers and the public are slightly favoring the older fighter, listing Marquez -122 and Allen +100 via FanDuel.
Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez UFC Fight Night 253 start time, how to watch
As the co-main event, Brundage and Marquez are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 8:40 p.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 253.
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