Getty Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs.
A UFC star challenged star football players for the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, over the weekend after notching a brutal finish over his latest MMA rival inside the Octagon. UFC middleweight contender Julian Marquez defeated Sam Alvey via second-round technical submission after choking his opponent to unconsciousness on Saturday at the latest UFC on ABC card in Las Vegas, Nevada.
You can watch that stunning finish below.
SHEEEEEESH!
@JMarquezMMA was finishing that fight NO MATTER WHAT 🥶 #UFCVegas23
But what Marquez did after the fight during his post-fight interview is what really grabbed people’s attention.
Marquez, a native of Kansas City, used that time on national television to challenge his favorite football team’s biggest NFL stars.
Don’t worry, though, Marquez isn’t looking to fight them.
It should also be noted he doesn’t necessarily want to play football against them.
Nope, Marquez challenged the NFL players to play badminton or pickleball.
You can watch the bizarre callout below.
You heard the man.
@JMarquezMMA wants @tkelce, @PatrickMahomes, @cheetah in badminton or pickleball 😅 #UFCVegas23
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Marquez: ‘I Challenge You Guys!’
“I am the entertainment you pay to see, but ABC gave it to you for free. So now I have a call out to give to everyone from Kansas City. You see, this is the thing. I’m the baddest man from Kansas City, the baddest middleweight from Missouri, and this is one thing, it’s my time right now,” Marquez said.
It seemed from his tone Marquez was about to call out a future UFC opponent, but that’s not what happened. Instead, he started talking about the NFL stars.
“So Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, I challenge you guys to a badminton or pickleball competition! Straight up, if you guys want to see who the pound-for-pound champ is of Kansas City, you’re coming after me,” Marquez said.
Once again, Julian Marquez’s unconventional post-fight callout hit the mark 🎯
This time, he’s got himself a pickleball battle with three of the NFL’s best 😂
Marquez finished his callout by noting the magnificence of his own beard. To be completely fair to the middleweight brawler, he’s not wrong about its quality.
“This magnificent beard tops all of what you guys have to bring,” Marquez said.
Marquez is 9-2 in MMA. It’s unclear what his badminton or pickleball records are, but what is clear is that the UFC star is completely confident he could beat the likes of Mahomes, Kelce and Hill in those games.
That, or maybe he just wants to meet them.
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NFL Players Respond to the UFC Star’s Challenge
Kelce was the first to respond to the callout. The superstar tight end for the Chiefs noted he was ready for whatever. Kelce posted, “We can settle ALL this up at Chicken n Pickle!! LFG!!!”.
@espnmma @JMarquezMMA @PatrickMahomes @cheetah We can settle ALL this up at Chicken n Pickle!! LFG!!!
Mahomes was the next to respond. The superstar quarterback posted, “…need a couple weeks but I’m always down for a challenge…”.
Finally, Hill said he’s down for it, too. Hill posted, “I’m down.”
So it looks like Marquez might be getting his wish granted soon.
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