Julian Marquez continued his rise up the middleweight ladder earlier today (Sat., Apr. 10, 2021) at UFC Vegas 23 live on ABC/ESPN+, ESPN from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nev., when “Cuban Missile Crisis” finished veteran Sam Alvey via second-round submission (rear-naked choke).
Both middleweights came out swinging. Marquez was the aggressor as he backed Alvey up against the cage and started to tee off, but Alvey leaned on his short right hook and counter power shots to keep the younger fighter at bay. Marquez turned the heat up in Round 2 as he landed heavy combinations along the cage to really hurt Alvey. That’s when Marquez pounced on Alvey’s back and sunk in the rear-naked choke without any hooks being placed.
Check out the highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
Marquez now has two submission wins under his belt for 2021 and is quickly looking like a contender on the rise at 185 pounds. “Cuban Missile Crisis” certainly has some defensive holes to fill before he makes his push towards the top 15, but there’s a lot to like about the 30-year-old contender.
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