Cody Brundage vs Julian Marquez Predictions, Picks & Odds

Middleweight bombers Cody Brundage and Julian Marquez collide in the co-main event of this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night. Though these two won’t be in title contention anytime soon, these finishers have the potential to put together a potential fight-of-the-year contender.

UFC odds have Marquez as a -120 favorite, and Brundage is a +100 underdog. Here are my best free UFC Fight Night: Brundage vs. Marquez predictions from the Apex in Las Vegas.

Brundage vs Marquez prediction and best bet

• My fight prediction
  Brundage moneyline (+100 at BET99)
  
  
• My best bet
  Brundage to win by KO/TKO (+250 at BET99)

Fight analysis
It's been three years since Marquez last had his hand held up in victory in a UFC fight, and it’s also the last time he didn’t need to get scraped off the mat after getting his lights put out. Brundage has problems that have held him back from advancing his career, but he’s the more proven of the two with slightly less vulnerabilities, yet somehow also the underdog.

Both Brundage and Marquez indeed have durability issues, but Marquez’s chin has been cracked repeatedly to the point that any clean shot will likely end his night. Brundage has shown that while he lacks defensive awareness, he can close the distance and make good use of his heavy hands and wrestling.

Of the two, Brundage is coming in with a recent win on his record back in 2023 when he knocked out Zachary Reese after a vicious first-round slam. This is also the same Reese who knocked out Marquez in 20 seconds last June.

Marquez lands 4.85 significant strikes per 15 minutes but absorbs 5.06, highlighting his defensive lapses, while Brundage lands fewer strikes at 1.62 but absorbs less at 2.63 and complements his offense with 2.31 takedowns per 15 minutes. Both fighters are finishers, and their fights don't tend to go the distance, but of the two, we’ve established that Marquez is always in danger of getting sparked out once his opponents can put some heat on him.

Neither one of these guys will be confused as contenders, but this should be fun while it lasts. While Brundage tends to make bad decisions defensively, he can still close the distance and land big shots while aiming to score takedowns and grapple. Marquez losing back-to-back-to-back fights by TKO is a troubling sign that he simply cannot take a good shot, and he doesn’t have the mindfulness or style to avoid getting caught with something that can put him out.

This fight between two kill-or-be-killed fighters should be easier to pick than the odds indicate. I’m going with Brundage to hand Marquez his fourth straight loss.

Best bet analysis
I can’t see this fight going the distance, and I don’t know how Marquez manages to stay upright after Brundage gets inside and starts letting his hands go. With Marquez’s chin as bad as it is and the fact he’s unable to protect that chin or do anything else besides hope to outslug Brundage early leads me to make Brundage by KO my best bet for the fight.

Cody Brundage vs Julian Marquez odds

Method of Victory	Brundage	Marquez
To win outright	+100	-120
To win by KO/TKO	+250	+425
To win by decision	+640	+725
To win by submission	+575	+225
Draw	+2500	+2500

Odds as of 3-1.

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Cody Brundage vs Julian Marquez tale of the tape

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