Julian Marquez laughs off the notion he dropped the ball with his response to Miley Cyrus in the aftermath of UFC 258.
Marquez (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) returned to the octagon Saturday following a 31-month layoff and submitted Maki Pitolo in the third round of their middleweight bout. His post-fight completely overshadowed the performance, though. Marquez maximized his mic time by sending a message to the music superstar Cyrus, asking if she would be his Valentine.
Just a few hours later, Cyrus responded on Twitter. She said she would oblige Marquez’s request – but only if he shaved her initials into his chest hair. Marquez then proposed a counter-offer and told Cyrus to get a henna tattoo of his “Cuban Missile Crisis” nickname on her stomach.
There’s been no public dialogue since then, and it’s caused many to express an opinion that Marquez “blew it,” especially after one of her Instagram stories surfaced online (via Twitter):
He begs to differ, though, and said things are happening exactly as they need to – despite not having fulfilled Cyrus’ stipulation.
“I have not shaven an ‘MC’ in my chest just yet,” Marquez told MMA Junkie Radio on Monday. “I flew home (Sunday) and spent some time with my family. It’s been 31 months. I’ve spent two camps away from my family, kind of pushing them away. I’ve spent the majority of the time with my grandmother. But here’s the thing: A man’s chest hair is sacred. It’s like a lion’s mane. It’s very difficult to shave. But I am talking to some people right now and we have something in the works for everybody.
“Trust me, everything is going to work out the way you guys want it to work out. Everything is going the way it should go. For everyone saying I blew it, I think that’s hilarious because that’s not what it looks like on this side.”
That’s quite the teaser from Marquez on the potential developments we could see.
Now only time will tell if his confidence is misplaced or he’s keeping his cards close to the vest on the inner workings of what’s happening behind the scenes.
