The UFC middleweight challenged the Kansas City players to a game after a dominating finish.
Kansas City-born UFC middleweight Julian Marquez had a special callout to his post-fight interview after his victory. Marquez called out Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Tyreek Hill to a game of either badminton or pickleball.
The callout came after Marquez submitted UFC veteran Sam Alvey in the second round on UFC on ABC 2. Marquez was able to outstrike Alvey on the feet before sinking in a submission in a scramble.
This victory over a veteran of the promotion was huge for Marquez. Especially after injuries and postponements led to Marquez not fighting in either 2019 or 2020. However, with two fights and two victories in 2021, the Kansas City fighter is back on the right track.
Marquez is currently 9-2 in his professional career and 4-1 in UFC promoted events, per Sherdog.
As the self-proclaimed ‘baddest man’ in Kansas City, the up-and-coming fighter got the attention of Mahomes, Kelce, and Hill.
It is still unclear who Marquez’s teammate would be for the match. Marquez moved camps recently back to the Kansas City area to train at Glory MMA & Fitness, according to MMA Junkie.
Marquez certainly showed his love for Kansas City in his post-fight press conference. Which should get him support from Chiefs Kingdom. Representation in combat sports has been a struggle for the city.
As Marquez continues to rise through the UFC middleweight ranks, it’ll be interesting to how the city rallies around the 30-year-old middleweight as he attempts to leave his mark on the UFC promotion.
How awesome would it be if they got together for this and donated all the tv rights/ticket sales/etc to the different players’ charities?! I hope this happens