Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC Julian Marquez kept his perfect finishing rate in tact following another jaw-dropping performance at UFC Vegas 23.
The former Contender Series winner engaged in an absolute fire fight with Sam Alvey on the feet but it was a devastating left hand that nearly earned him a knockout before Marquez wrapped up a rear-naked choke that finally put his opponent to sleep. The end came at 2:07 into the second round as Marquez earned his ninth career victory with all nine coming by way of submission or knockout.
“I am blessed right now,” Marquez said after notching his second straight submission win. “Sam Alvey is a vet of the game. He knows how to fight hurt and I saw him whenever I took his back, I saw him expose his neck up so I went in for the rear-naked choke but I know I can’t put my hooks in on him so I just grabbed a hold, put my head on the side of his head and I squeezed for dear life as if I was trying to pop off his head.”
PUT HIM TO SLEEP @JMarquezMMA was relentless in RD 2!

[ #UFCVegas23 | LIVE on @ABCNetwork & #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Ug1AiWpYR7
— UFC (@ufc) April 10, 2021
The middleweights were both looking for the knockout with every punch thrown as Alvey was resigned to working off the cage while Marquez was constantly stalking forward. The exchanges were fiery throughout the first round but Marquez finally found a home for one of his combinations that had Alvey on wobbly legs.
Rather than rushing in and possibly getting caught by a counter, Marquez was tactical with his punches as he continued to head hunt for the finish but not allowing Alvey to catch him in return.
That strategy paid off in the second round as Marquez started measuring his shots while setting up the kinds of feints that had Alvey walking into his combinations.
Marquez then tagged Alvey with a stinging shot that had him hurt again and then he unloaded with the left hand that put the former Ultimate Fighter competitor down on the ground. Marquez attempted to get the finish with strikes but when he saw Alvey’s neck was open, he changed course and locked on the rear naked choke to get the finish.
With this latest win, Marquez continues to prove he’s one of the most exciting fighters on the entire UFC roster as he moves to 9-2 overall with a 3-1 resume inside the octagon.


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