Julian Marquez thinks he was put on UFC 285 for a reason.
Saturday’s event is headlined by Jon Jones, who takes on Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Marquez (9-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) will open up the televised prelims against Marc-Andre Barriault (14-6 MMA, 3-5 UFC), and promises fans they’re in for an exciting battle.
“They need entertainment,” Marquez told MMA Junkie Radio. “We have such a spectacular card on (Saturday) with Jon Jones coming back and Ciryl Gane going there – it’s a huge card and they want to make sure people are entertained, so they put Julian Marquez on that card and they want people to watch it.
“That’s why they put me on the prelims and people are going to tune in. They’re going to know that Marc and I are going to bring it, they’re going to know it’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be a bloodbath and it’s going to be ending with a highlight reel with Julian Marquez on top.”
Marquez’s entry to the UFC came through one of the most devastating finishes on Dana White’s Contender Series – a head kick knockout of Phil Hawes. In five octagon appearances, Marquez has earned three post-fight bonuses.
“Any time I’m in front of the fans, they always love ‘The Cuban Missile Crisis’ out there,” Marquez said. “I give everybody what they want to see. I’m always entertaining and I speak very well when it comes to mic time. People love to hate me, but they still talk about me.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.