Preview: UFC Vegas 103 ‘Kape vs. Almabayev’

Middleweights

Cody Brundage (10-6, 4-5 UFC) vs. Julian Marquez (9-5, 3-4 UFC)

ODDS: Marquez (-155), Brundage (+130)

It has been a rough few years for Marquez. His UFC career got off to an impressive start in 2017, as “The Cuban Missile Crisis” won a war over Darren Stewart and seemed to be carving out a niche for himself as a fan favorite, but things quickly went sideways. He got outmaneuvered by Alessio Di Chirico in an unimpressive loss, then a cascade of injuries caused him to miss all of 2019 and 2020. He enjoyed a bit of a rebound year in 2021, as he put together two wins and once again affirmed himself as an entertaining brawler with some grappling skills in his back pocket, but he has now once again found himself in a rough spot. He has had some more long layoffs in between fights and lost his last three via knockout. Marquez seems to be attempting to eschew his brawling ways for a more patient and technical approach, but he has wound up stuck between the worst of both worlds. He’s ceding the initiative early to opponents who can crack his chin, and even if he survives, he can quickly be lured back into a brawl. After getting obliterated by Zachary Reese in 20 seconds in June, Marquez looks for a long-overdue rebound against Brundage.

Brundage has put together a solid UFC career, though things tend to either go spectacularly well or spectacularly wrong over the course of his fights. A former wrestler, Brundage has built out some capable striking and turned into a well-rounded fighter, and he has shown an ability to adapt and come into each fight with a few ideas to build around. If one of those ideas work, Brundage can usually walk away with a quick finish, but once he has cycled through his game plan, he’s usually left adrift, with things typically turning hard against him in short order. Additionally, Brundage is on a strange run where opponents seem drawn towards bashing him in the back of the head; two of his last four fights have ended thanks to that specific foul. At any rate, Brundage should have a hot start, and at this point, it seems like that might be all it takes to dispatch Marquez. The pick is Brundage via first-round knockout.

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Kape vs. Almabayev
Brundage vs. Marquez
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Barlow vs. Patterson
The Prelims