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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Matt Erickson and Ken Hathaway

One fight into UFC tenure, MarQuel Mederos has a request: ‘Don’t bring me back to the Apex’

LAS VEGAS – Marquel Mederos beat Landon Quinones with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 235 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Mederos, who won his official UFC debut after punching his ticket through Dana White’s Contender Series.

MarQuel Mederos vs. Landon Quinones

MarQuel Mederos

Result: MarQuel Mederos def. Landon Quinones via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Updated records: Mederos (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Quinones (7-3-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
Key stats: Quinones won the overall striking stats, landed a takedown and stuffed all five of Mederos’ takedown attempts, but Mederos took the second and third rounds from all three judges.

Mederos on the fight's key moment

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 03: (L-R) Landon Quinones punches MarQuel Mederos in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 03, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

“He’s tough, but he talks a lot. All of his interviews, he’s like, ‘I’m gonna walk him down. I’m gonna beat him down.’ So I knew what he was coming with. My game is a little bit more finesse. I think my nerves got high in that first round, but I made adjustments in that second and third and then went out and did what we had to do.”

Mederos on fighting at the UFC Apex

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 03: (R-L) MarQuel Mederos punches Landon Quinones in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 03, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

“Man, get me in front of a crowd. Get me in T-Mobile (Arena in Las Vegas). Give me a T-Mobile (fight). Get me in an arena. I don’t care what it is, just don’t bring me back to the Apex. Get me in front of a crowd and then I’ll really show out.”

Mederos on what he wants next

MarQuel Mederos

“This is my sixth fight in like 11 months, so I’m taking a little break after this one, getting some training in. That win is always one of the best feelings in the world. It’s like chasing the drug high for sure. I don’t want to get too crazy. I would say another four or five months, something like that. I’m not trying to take a whole year off, but I do want to take a little bit of time spend with the film.”

To hear more from Mederos, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.

UFC Fight Night 235

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