Julian Marquez Record: 9-6-0

UFC career

Marquez carried his momentum into the Octagon, submitting Darren Stewart with a second-round guillotine choke in December 2017. Injuries then stalled his career, and his next outing was a 2018 split-decision loss to Alessio Di Chirico at The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale. He returned years later in dramatic fashion, submitting Maki Pitolo with a third-round anaconda choke at UFC 258 in February 2021, then submitting veteran Sam Alvey by rear-naked choke that April. The back half of his run has been turbulent, with a knockout loss to Gregory Rodrigues in 2022, a TKO defeat to Marc-André Barriault at UFC 285, and further stoppage losses to Zach Reese in 2024 and Cody Brundage in 2025.

Fighting style

Marquez is a true finisher: every one of his nine career wins has come inside the distance, six by knockout and three by submission, a 100 percent finish rate that few fighters can claim. His striking is built on raw power and creativity, headlined by that famous head-kick knockout, while his grappling has produced clutch chokes when fights hit the mat. The trade-off is a high-variance, defensively porous style — all six of his losses have been finishes, four by knockout — which, combined with a long history of injuries, has kept him from stringing together sustained runs. When Marquez connects, the night usually ends; when he gets caught, it ends just as fast.

Career highlights

• Head-kick knockout of Phil Hawes — iced Phil Hawes on the 2017 Contender Series with one of the series' signature finishes to earn his UFC deal.
• Dramatic UFC 258 comeback — returned from a long injury layoff to submit Maki Pitolo by third-round anaconda choke in 2021.
• Perfect finishing record — all nine of his career wins have come by knockout or submission, a 100 percent finish rate.