UFC Louisville: Julian Marquez vs. Zachary Reese Prediction, Pick and Odds

Coming off a year-long layoff following consecutive knockout losses, Julian Marquez will look to rebound at UFC Louisville against Zachary Reese.

Marquez (9-4, 3-3 in UFC) has not fought since appearing on UFC 285, losing to Marc-Andre Barriault by TKO in the second round. In his seven years with the UFC, Marquez has fought just six times with a middling 3-3 record, causing reason to believe he may be fighting for his job on June 8.

Reese (6-1, 0-1 in UFC) has fought just once in the UFC thus far, losing his undefeated record in the process. Unfortunately for the 30-year-old, his debut happened to cause one of the biggest highlight knockouts of 2023 as he was slammed on his head and knocked unconscious with the following punches from Cody Brundage.

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Julian Marquez vs. Zachary Reese odds and round total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Moneyline:

• Julian Marquez -142
• Zach Reese +120

Total: 1.5 rounds (Over +135/Under -175)

Julian Marquez vs. Zachary Reese best bet

The situation that Reese is currently in is one that is commonly repeated in MMA. A hyped-up prospect will have an underwhelming UFC debut and the subsequent aura around his name completely fades away, leading to him being an underdog in his following fight.

However, in this case, there is not a lot to believe that Reese is not the prospect that everyone expected him to be. He may not be a world champion, but the skills are clearly there for a 6'4" middleweight with exceptional athleticism and finishing ability. Against Marquez, Reese will be two inches taller with a sizeable five-inch advantage in reach.

It is surprising to see the hype practically dying off completely from a semi-fluky slam knockout when he was potentially seconds away from ending the fight with a triangle choke. In his previous six fights, Reese was 6-0 with each win in the first round. His competition was nothing to be impressed by but the skills he showed on tape passed the eye test.

Contrarily, Marquez was also once the hot prospect, entering the UFC off a stunning head-kick knockout on DWCS. His career is much more established to this point and his 3-3 UFC record is far from impressive.

Not only are neither of the three fighters Marquez owns wins over in the UFC no longer in the promotion but he was on his way to losing one of them, being completely dominated by Maki Pitolo before finding a Hail Mary submission in the final minute. The 34-year-old is also just one of four UFC wins on the record of Alessio Di Chirico, who retired in 2022 with a 13-7 record including 4-7 in the Octagon.

While the book is still out on Reese and his career potential, Marquez is essentially a finished product. This is great matchmaking by the UFC to set Reese up for a big bounce-back win and analyze what they truly have in the middleweight division.

Best bet: Zachary Reese money line (+120)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.