“I don’t like to fight against another Brazilian. It splits the fence in Brazil, for sure. I can see it in comments and interviews and everything. But like I said, it is what it is. So we have to fight. That’s the show.”
Luckily for us fans, that is the show, and it figures to be quite a spectacular one when Marques returns to the Octagon this weekend in hopes of spoiling the UFC debut of countryman Jailton Almeida on the prelim card of UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Strickland. It’s a rebooking of an anticipated matchup that was slated to go down last November.
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“I had a little problem with my elbow and I had to do a surgery,” explains Marques. “I did. Perfect recovery. We’re here today.”
Indeed, we are. As he sits in the UFC APEX a couple days out from showtime Marques exudes a loose, cool confidence. If anything it bothering him, it’s impossible to detect.
“Yeah. It’s a special moment for me to be here. It’s my fourth fight in the UFC. I’ve enjoyed it day by day. Doing my work step by step. I just want to do my job. I’m ready. I’ve been working a lot in my camp, studying timing. Everything’s perfect. I cut weight. I’m feeling good.”
When we last saw Marques, he was suffering an uncharacteristic loss—his first in the UFC and only his third in 14 professional fights—to Kennedy Nzechukwu last June.
“I worked a lot for that fight,” he sighs. He reflects that maybe his mentality took a hit when he didn’t get the first or second round finish he was certain he’d get. The next thing he knew, the referee was stopping the fight. But there isn’t a trace of bitterness or regret in his voice. He seems to accept it with the same ease that you’d accept a restaurant being out of iced tea.