Cody Brundage TKOs Julian Marquez in slugfest

Cody Brundage and Julian Marquez did not relish being matched up at UFC Fight Night 253 after their history of training with each other.

However, you wouldn’t have known it when they got inside the octagon for the middleweight co-headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

After trading heavy shots from the outset and each having their moments, Brundage (11-6 MMA, 5-5 UFC) landed the cleanest blow and put Marquez (9-6 MMA, 3-6 UFC) down and into survival mode. He attempted to push through it, but Brundage was relentless and the fight was waved off at the 4:45 mark of Round 1.

Check out the replay of the final sequence below (via X):

CODY BRUNDAGE GETS THE FINISH IN ROUND 1 🔥 #UFCVEGAS103 pic.twitter.com/uOLpCZMkCp

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 2, 2025

Both fighters embraced after the bout. It was Marquez’s fourth straight defeat, while Brundage rebounds from a no contest in his previous outing.

“I had to get close to losing the dream before knowing I really wanted it,” Brundage said in his post-fight interview with Jon Anik.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 253 results include:

• Cody Brundage def. Julian Marquez via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:45
• Nasrat Haqparast def. Esteban Ribovics via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Hyder Amil def. William Gomis via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Sam Patterson def. Danny Barlow via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:10
• Mario Pinto def. Austen Lane via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 0:39
• Chepe Mariscal def. Ricardo Ramos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Danny Silva def. Lucas Almeida via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• JJ Aldrich def. Andrea Lee via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Ramazan Temirov def. Charles Johnson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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