Marquez chokes out Alvey in FOTN candidate scrap

Twenty-fight UFC veteran Sam Alvey welcomed Julian Marquez back to the Octagon, following his February win and flirtations with Miley Cyrus. It was a fight the “Smilin” one desperately needed to win in his first fight at middleweight since 2017. He did not get it.

The opening round started uneventfully as Alvey played the role of a counter puncher, and Marquez a measured attacker. With two minutes left, Marquez landed a right hook that wobbled the 50-fight veteran. For the rest of the round Alvey seemed sluggish but was still game and slinging bombs, and actually stung his opponent late in the frame. Overall, a round for “The Cuban Missle Crisis” in one that started slow but finished hot and heavy.

SHEEEEEESH! @JMarquezMMA was finishing that fight NO MATTER WHAT 🥶 #UFCVegas23 pic.twitter.com/5hwfT4A7I2

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 10, 2021

The second round was a battle of bombs that Marquez got the best of again when he stunned Alvey with three minutes left. The 34-year-old survived admirably during a punch barrage on the mat, but his opponent played it smart and sank in a choke that put Alvey to sleep.

It is the second straight submission win for the 30-year-old after a 22-month layoff. He is now 3-1 in the UFC and closing in on top-15 consideration. As for Alvey, he is now 0-5-1 in his last six and may be in danger of displaying his smile outside the UFC, if he chooses to fight on. His last win came in June 2018.