Julian Marquez: No pressure vs. Cody Brundage at UFC Fight Night 253, despite friendship

LAS VEGAS – It’s been a rough few years for Julian Marquez, and Saturday, he’s in a crucial spot.

Marquez had a breakout year in 2021 with two bonus-winning submissions and a viral moment asking Miley Cyrus to be his valentine. But he fought just once a year in 2022, 2023 and 2024 – and lost all three by knockout.

In the UFC Fight Night 253 (ESPN+) co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday, along with the pressure of the only skid of his career – and the knowledge of what happens to many fighters who lose three in a row in the UFC, let alone four – Marquez has to fight a former training partner and someone he considers a friend.

Middleweights Cody Brundage (10-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) and Marquez (9-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC) have worked together in the gym, and now to snap his skid and keep his job, Marquez will have to take him out.

“When we first got it, I was sitting there like, ‘We used to train together, man. What are we doing fighting?'” Marquez said Wednesday at a media day for UFC Fight Night 253. “(But) this is thev business we’re in. It has nothing to do with the friendship that we have, has nothing to do there. We both have to fight for our job.

“I don’t feel any betrayal at all like. The opportunity comes to his door, he has to make the judgment and then our manager comes to talk to us. It’s a business. He knows he owes no explanation. I understand.”

Marquez said he’s had to look at his skid in a way that keeps his mental health around that topic under control. But he also has the benefit of fighting at the UFC Apex.

And while a lot of fighters say they’d prefer an old-school arena crowd, Marquez has fought at the Apex half his fights in the UFC, starting with DWCS in 2017. Give him those Apex vibes any time.

“I get to see a lot of my friends. I grew up in this facility,” Marquez said. “I was here right when it opened up and I became friends with even the janitors, the security guards. When I come back here, I see an extended part of my family. I’m giving hugs to everybody. They all know me.”

Check out Marquez’s full interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 253.