Julian Marquez vs Gregory Rodrigues scheduled for UFC on ESPN 37
We have a very exciting middleweight showdown to look forward to coming up at UFC on ESPN 37, as Julian Marquez returns to the octagon to face Gregory Rodrigues.
Marquez was initially slated against Wellington Turman for this event, however, Turman was forced out with an injury and replaced by Rodrigues. That is unfortunate, but, this is every bit as exciting of a match up!
UFC on ESPN 37 is to go down live from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on June 18, 2022.
Julian Marquez hasn’t fought since April of last year, but this isn’t the first year-plus layoff he’s had. He too has battled some injuries over the last couple years.
Coming over to the UFC in 2017 following his Contender Series win that showed him victorious via KO (head kick) over fellow current UFC talent Phil Hawes, he first dispatched of Darren Stewart in his promotional debut, submitting (guillotine choke) him midway through the second round.
Marquez returned seven months later and battled Alessio Di Chirico for three rounds, losing the bout via split decision, a very close split decision. He wouldn’t fight again for two-and-a-half years, but he’s looked great since returning last year in 2021.
First, ‘The Cuban Missile Crisis’ would submit (anaconda choke) Maki Pitolo late in round three, before doing the same to Sam Alvey, submitting (rear naked choke) him in round two.
When Marquez came over to the UFC, he had a record of 6-1, all six wins coming via knockout. As you see, he’s since secured three submission victories in his last three wins. And, his only defeat inside the octagon, he could’ve easily gotten the nod in.
Nonetheless, he comes in with a record of 9-2 (3-1 UFC), having finished every opponent he boasts a win over.
Gregory Rodrigues also fought on the Contender Series, going in as the SG middleweight champion, where he was KO’d by knockout artist Jordan Williams in the first round.
Following this defeat, he’d sign with LFA, where he also won that middleweight belt, going 2-0 in the promotion before joining the UFC’s deep roster.
Rodrigues first defeated highly touted prospect Dusko Todorovic (UD) in his promotional debut, before KO’ing Jun Yong Park in the second round. This led up to his last outing, where he was defeated by Armen Petrosyan via split decision, bringing his record to 11-4 (2-1 UFC).
This was a very close fight that really could’ve gone either way, much like Marquez’ fight with Alessio Di Chirico.
Each of them have lost a single time inside the UFC, both via split decision.
Prior to beginning his MMA journey, Rodrigues became an eight-time national champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a two-time world champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and he even competed for the Brazilian national wrestling team, where he secured second place at the Pan American wrestling championships.
But, just as we’ve seen improvements out of Marquez regarding his grappling, we’ve seen similar improvements out of Rodrigues, regarding his striking.
Rodrigues, being a BJJ black belt, secured four submission victories in his first six wins.
Since then, we’ve seen him secure knockouts in four of his last five wins. Not just knockout victories either, all four of them came via KO in devastating fashion.
Marquez just turned 32 years old, while Rodrigues just turned 30.
Both talents appear to just now be hitting their peak.
How do you see this epic middleweight clash going?
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