Canadian middleweight Barriault scores TKO win at UFC 285

LAS VEGAS — Canadian middleweight Marc-Andre (Powerbar) Barriault poured it on in the second round Saturday night, landing 77 significant strikes in just over four minutes en route to a TKO win over Julian (The Cuban Missile Crisis) Marquez on the undercard of UFC 285.

After a first round that saw Marquez set the pace, Barriault went into high gear and battered Marquez with elbows and punches at the fence until referee Mark Smith stepped in four minutes 12 seconds into the second round to end the punishment.

While Marquez had a 48-32 edge in significant strikes in the first round, Barriault turned the tables in the second with a 77-34 advantage.

"They call me Powerbar because the more the fight goes, the more dangerous I am," said Barriault. "I think I proved tonight I that deserve to be here. I deserve to have a good time, success, because I work hard. And this is exactly who I am, the fight that I fought tonight."

Barriault (15-6-0 with one no contest) improved to 4-5-0 with one no contest on the UFC.

Former light-heavyweight champion Jon (Bones) Jones, returning to action for the first time since February 2020, faced France’s Ciryl (Bon Gamin) Gane, the No. 1 heavyweight contender, for the heavyweight title in the main event at T-Mobile Centre in Las Vegas.

Barriault, a native of Gatineau, Que., who now makes his home in South Florida where he trains at Kill Cliff Fight Club, was coming off a third-round submission loss to American Anthony (Fluffy) Hernandez in September, a fight that saw the Canadian dislocate two ribs in the first round.

The UFC has proved to be a roller-coaster UFC ride for the 33-year-old Barriault.

He lost his first three fights in the promotion before stopping Oskar Piechota in June 2020, only to fail a drug test. Barriault blamed the positive test for ostarine on tainted supplements with the UFC backing his claim.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency agreed, finding "no evidence of intentional use," and handing down a six-month ban "consistent with low-level ostarine cases with evidence of contamination." Barriault was also suspended for nine months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, fined US$2,100, and had the Piechota outcome changed to a no-decision.

Barriault won his next two fights before being knocked out in just 16 seconds by American Chidi (Chidi Chidi Bang Bang) Njokuani in February 2022. He rebounded by choking out American Jordan (The Beverly Hills Ninja) Wight in April — at a catchweight of 190 pounds because he took the fight on short notice — before the Hernandez bout.

Marquez (9-4-O) lost his second straight and slipped to 3-3-0 in the UFC. The Kansas City native won his way into the promotion on "Dana White's Contender Series" with a devastating head-kick knockout of American Phil (No Hype) Hawes in August 2017.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2023.