While Michael Bisping has already been confirmed as one of the coaches for the ninth season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, who will be the other coach is still up in the air.

Several names have been tossed around, ranging from the winner of an upcoming fight between Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin to up-and-coming Brazilian prospect Demian Maia.

However, there’s at least one more top middleweight contender that wants to throw his name into the hat: Nate Marquardt.

“Being a coach on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ is something I’d love to do,” Marquardt (27-8-2) told Sherdog.com. “I asked the UFC if I could do it, but I’m not sure who they’re considering. I think it would be good to be a part of it.”

Marquardt’s manager, Dean Albrecht, makes a case that Marquardt would be a perfect fit as a coach.

“Nate’s funny and has a good personality,” said Albrecht. “He’s got good wrestling skills, excellent standup and is a black belt (in jiu-jitsu and Brazilian jiu-jitsu).

“Without a doubt, he’s one of the nicest people you’ll meet outside the cage and one of the meanest you’ll see inside the cage. He’s sincere and polite when you meet him, but when he fights, he’s meaner than a junkyard dog. There’s just an incredible difference.”

Albrecht also cited Marquardt’s association with Greg Jackson’s Submission Fighting camp in Albuquerque, N.M. The team has a roster that features UFC stars George St. Pierre, Rashad Evans and Keith Jardine, along with fellow MMA veterans Leonard Garcia, Damacio Page and Joey Villasenor. Albrecht suggested there would be no shortage of talent Marquardt could bring with him to the show.

If Marquardt is a candidate, it’s probably thanks in part to his UFC 88 win in September over Martin Kampmann. The former King of Pancrase, whom Sherdog.com ranks sixth at 185 pounds, knocked out Kampmann in 1:22 to reassert himself in the middleweight division following a disappointing split-decision loss to Thales Leites at UFC 85 in June.

“I didn’t really come out looking to knock out (Kampmann),” said Marquardt. “I felt like I was aggressive against (Leites), but I didn’t want anything to happen again to where I lost points (on the judges’ scorecards). It paid off, because it made me be more accurate and have better timing with my punches.

“When it comes to the Leites fight, everyone thought I won the fight, but it turned out that I lost. However, that loss isn’t as big a deal now that I’ve knocked out a guy who beat (Leites).”

Albrecht said Marquardt’s win over Kampmann was crucial to him staying in the upper echelon of the middleweight division.

“No disrespect to Martin Kampmann, but Nate is a better fighter in all respects than Martin is,” Albrecht said. “However, every fight in the UFC is so important. It’s dangerous to lose two straight fights and you have to approach every fight like it’s the Super Bowl.”

Marquardt has taken time off since the Kampmann fight, which has allowed him to heal some nagging injuries that have plagued him for most of 2008.

“I had turf toe for eight or nine months, and that’s finally gone away,” he said. “I also had a hand injury that happened during (the Leites fight) and carried over to the Kampmann fight. Right now, I’m just staying in shape, helping guys get ready for their fights and waiting to see who’s going to win some of these upcoming middleweight fights.”

Two middleweights Marquardt would love to step into the cage with are Bisping and Maia.

“Both of them are good fighters,” Marquardt said. “Bisping can go and go, and Maia is good on the ground. But neither one of them has fought anyone who is as good as me or at the same level of fighter that I am. It would be a huge jump in class for them to fight me, and I think I could finish either one of them off in round one or two.”

Marquardt would also like a rematch with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. The Brazilian stopped him with strikes at 4:50 of the first round at UFC 73 in July 2007. The loss snapped a six-fight winning streak for Marquardt that had dated back to November 2004.

“The desire for a rematch with Anderson Silva is obvious, and it’s a great desire of mine,” said Marquardt. “I really feel like I didn’t fight the way I wanted to fight. I just didn’t show up that night. When I was sticking with my game plan, I was winning the fight. I went away from that, and he took advantage of it. The next time we fight, it will be a war and I can’t wait for the opportunity.”

Albrecht said he thinks Marquardt should not have to wait long for a rematch with Silva.

“I’d think Nate is the top contender at 185,” said Albrecht. “He’s one of the most multitalented fighters at 185, period. He’s right there in the mix with the top guys and right now, we just want important fights that are going to advance his career.”

One thing Marquardt has on his side is time. Even though he has been fighting professionally since 1999, he’s still just 29 years old. His success in Japan -- going 13-5-2 under the Pancrase banner from December 1999 to May 2005 -- came when he was still learning the ins-and-outs of MMA in his early 20s.

“Nate’s a young 29,” said Albrecht. “He’s in top physical shape all of the time and has never really had any major injuries. He’s been well known in the MMA community for a long time, but he’s just now starting to get noticed in the mainstream as well.”