Who is Julian Marquez fighting at UFC Vegas 66?

Julian Marquez has made himself known in the UFC after various publicity stunts outside of the octagon, including asking Miley Cyrus to be his Valentine's Day date during his UFC 258 post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. 'The Cuban Missile Crisis' is in action this weekend against Deron Winn.

Marquez has had mixed success in the UFC since joining the organization back in 2017. The 32-year-old has fought five times in the octagon, winning three bouts and losing twice.

'The Cuban Missile Crisis' has beaten the likes of Darren Stewart, Maki Pitolo, and Sam Alvey. His losses usually come against tricky opposition, with both Alessio Di Chirico and Gregory Rodrigues getting the better of Marquez.

However, Julian Marquez's upcoming bout against Deron Winn should be a little easier than some of his previous outings in the UFC. Winn has struggled in the organization since debuting in 2019, currently holding an organizational record of two wins and three losses.

Winn has suffered defeats against Darren Stewart, Gerald Meerschaert, and Phil Hawes, with Meerschaert and Hawes stopping the American within three rounds of fighting.

Marquez's future opponent won't be a complete pushover though, with Winn previously training with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Mahkachev at the American Kickboxing Academy. AKA is known to produce high-level fighters, so they will also be hopeful of a big result against Julian Marquez.

Watch Deron Winn train with Khabib Nurmagomedov here:

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Who was the first fighter to beat Julian Marquez in professional MMA?

Julian Marquez has managed to maintain a decent record during his professional MMA career, with 'The Cuban Missile Crisis' only losing three bouts during his 12-fight career. His first loss came back in 2016 at Bellator 150: Kongo vs. Queiroz, against Chris Harris.

Harris managed to get the better of Marquez on the judges' scorecards, with the UFC fighter losing via unanimous decision. Chris Harris hasn't fought in professional MMA since 2019, with his most recent bout coming under kickboxing rules in 2021.

After suffering his first loss, Julian Marquez managed to remain unbeaten until entering the UFC. Marquez has lost to Alessio Di Chirico and Gregory Rodrigues since joining the organization back in 2017.

Marquez earned his spot on the UFC roster after getting the better of Phil Hawes in Dana White's Contender Series and has managed to remain competitive in the organization.