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The Moment of Moments for Marquardt
"My next fight is always my most important fight, and I'm
ready."
It's forthright, without a hint of pretense. It's exactly the response you'd expect from Nathan Marquardt (Pictures), whose 4-0 mark in the UFC has elevated him to middleweight title challenger against Anderson Silva Saturday night in Sacramento, Calif.
His business-esque demeanor when it comes to fight discussion is also reflected in his skillset. Athletic and powerful, with strong striking and potent grappling, Marquardt's tools have been sharpened over the course of eight years and 33 pro fights. His ascension to the role of title challenger was direct, and perhaps expected.
However, Marquardt's road to this point as not been quite as straightforward.
Skinny and undersized as an athlete through his school days, Marquardt jumped into the mixed martial arts world at the age of 19. With a UFC dream firmly planted in his mind, it looked as though he would get the opportunity to fight in the Octagon early in his career when he competed in the fourth Bas Rutten (Pictures) Invitational tournament in Aug. 1999. Instead, Nate "The Great" wound up with a Pancrase deal, and made the enormous decision to drop everything he had going in Colorado -- college, a job, a girlfriend, and his family -- and head to Japan to pursue his dream.
His UFC dream flickered again in the summer of 2001. After defeating Shonie Carter (Pictures) to become the first ever middleweight King of Pancrase, Marquardt headed back to the United States to face Gil Castillo (Pictures) under the IFC banner. It was well known that the winner of the bout would jump into a fight against Dave Menne (Pictures) later that year for the vacant UFC middleweight crown.
After starting strong, the ill effects of a back injury that Marquardt brought into the fight reared their head, and slowed down the then-22-year-old fighter. Castillo took a unanimous decision after 25 minutes, while Marquardt took a hit to the heart and, disappointed, headed back to Pancrase.
With three King of Pancrase runs on his résumé, Marquardt finally realized his UFC dream in Aug. 2005. However, it was bittersweet, as Marquardt's bout with Ivan Salaverry (Pictures), the headliner of the UFC's first cable television Fight Night card, was a 15-minute feeling out process between two counter-fighters. Worse, a steroid debacle ensued after Marquardt's win, and he sat on the shelf for five months before he was able to come before the Nevada State Athletic Commission with two clean tests to redeem himself.
Does the challenger have any regrets about his journey here?
"No," said Marquardt, who sports a record of 25-6-2. "I did my best at the time. So, no, not at all."
Well, that settles that.
Marquardt's nickname belies his definitively down-to-earth nature. A spiritual individual who has seen his hurdles as learning experiences more than trials and tribulations, Marquardt's path has sculpted him into a top-flight prizefighter, and a prototype for the sport.
But in order for Marquardt to continue on his road to glory, he'll first have to go through Anderson Silva, who isn't exactly prime to be paved over. Once viewed as highly talented but frustratingly flaky, Silva parlayed his blazing run through England's Cage Rage into a UFC deal, where his destructive blowouts of Chris Leben (Pictures) and Rich Franklin (Pictures) have revamped his rep into that of certifiable killer in the eyes of many.
None too surprisingly, Marquardt isn't fazed by Anderson's recent hit list. Rather, he and his Greg Jackson-led team simply are looking to break down the champion.
"That's what we do for every fight," the challenger said. "We look at their strengths, look at their weaknesses. We drill those positions, and clean up on the basics in all areas so I'm not missing anything."
After his clinch-based vivisection of Franklin to capture the UFC title, Silva's skills in the Thai plumb have seemingly become the stuff of which nightmares are made of for professional fighters. Fans and pundits alike have cited neck-wrestling as the ultimate no-no for Nate in this fight. As you might guess, Marquardt is a bit matter-of-fact on the issue.
"Without giving any game plans away: when I saw the fight with Rich Franklin (Pictures), I didn't see he did anything basic to neutralize that position," revealed Marquardt. "There's a lot of things you can do from that position."
Marquardt's straightforwardness is hardly brusque; it's a grounded, do-what-you-ought-to mentality that has been sharpened over eight years of high-level experience.
"He's got the whole package going for him," trainer Greg Jackson said of Marquardt. "His technique is looking great, his timing is looking great, and he's unflappable. A lot of it is just experience. Nate's been through the ups and downs, and this is nothing new to him."
But Marquardt is quick to point out that his experience may not mean everything: "He has a lot of experience inside and outside the UFC, just as I do. It's going to come down to whose game plan is better, who is better trained, who wants it more."
Eight years of high stakes fights has acclimated Marquardt to these pressure situations. However, his path here, no matter how many title belts were involved, hasn't obscured or diminished the magnitude of the dream he had as a skinny teenager of becoming UFC champion.
"That's been my dream since I started, being the champion of the UFC," he said. "But at the same time, I'm going into this fight just like I would any other fight."
In the biggest fight in a career marked by crucial clashes, Nathan Marquardt (Pictures) stands on the doorstep of an achievement which would morph his moniker of "The Great" from humorously uncharacteristic to decidedly apropos.
However, many fans and critics alike wonder about the implications of a Marquardt title win: in the post-TUF era of the UFC, it is almost expectant to see UFC titlists transform into superstars as the promotion continues to expand in the public consciousness.
"If they want to do their job and market me, that's up to them," Marquardt said, paying little mind to the glitz and glamour that have been lavished upon many of the octagon's standouts as of late.
Marquardt's indifference to the Zuffa hype machine offers a clear message as to who he is. However, like the messages he sent against Crafton Wallace (Pictures) and Dean Lister (Pictures), maybe not everyone can hear it. So, just as he will have the opportunity to do against Anderson Silva on Saturday night, Marquardt makes his statement clear.
"I am just who I am. I'm a fighter."
It's forthright, without a hint of pretense. It's exactly the response you'd expect from Nathan Marquardt (Pictures), whose 4-0 mark in the UFC has elevated him to middleweight title challenger against Anderson Silva Saturday night in Sacramento, Calif.
His business-esque demeanor when it comes to fight discussion is also reflected in his skillset. Athletic and powerful, with strong striking and potent grappling, Marquardt's tools have been sharpened over the course of eight years and 33 pro fights. His ascension to the role of title challenger was direct, and perhaps expected.
However, Marquardt's road to this point as not been quite as straightforward.
Skinny and undersized as an athlete through his school days, Marquardt jumped into the mixed martial arts world at the age of 19. With a UFC dream firmly planted in his mind, it looked as though he would get the opportunity to fight in the Octagon early in his career when he competed in the fourth Bas Rutten (Pictures) Invitational tournament in Aug. 1999. Instead, Nate "The Great" wound up with a Pancrase deal, and made the enormous decision to drop everything he had going in Colorado -- college, a job, a girlfriend, and his family -- and head to Japan to pursue his dream.
His UFC dream flickered again in the summer of 2001. After defeating Shonie Carter (Pictures) to become the first ever middleweight King of Pancrase, Marquardt headed back to the United States to face Gil Castillo (Pictures) under the IFC banner. It was well known that the winner of the bout would jump into a fight against Dave Menne (Pictures) later that year for the vacant UFC middleweight crown.
After starting strong, the ill effects of a back injury that Marquardt brought into the fight reared their head, and slowed down the then-22-year-old fighter. Castillo took a unanimous decision after 25 minutes, while Marquardt took a hit to the heart and, disappointed, headed back to Pancrase.
With three King of Pancrase runs on his résumé, Marquardt finally realized his UFC dream in Aug. 2005. However, it was bittersweet, as Marquardt's bout with Ivan Salaverry (Pictures), the headliner of the UFC's first cable television Fight Night card, was a 15-minute feeling out process between two counter-fighters. Worse, a steroid debacle ensued after Marquardt's win, and he sat on the shelf for five months before he was able to come before the Nevada State Athletic Commission with two clean tests to redeem himself.
Does the challenger have any regrets about his journey here?
"No," said Marquardt, who sports a record of 25-6-2. "I did my best at the time. So, no, not at all."
Well, that settles that.
Marquardt's nickname belies his definitively down-to-earth nature. A spiritual individual who has seen his hurdles as learning experiences more than trials and tribulations, Marquardt's path has sculpted him into a top-flight prizefighter, and a prototype for the sport.
But in order for Marquardt to continue on his road to glory, he'll first have to go through Anderson Silva, who isn't exactly prime to be paved over. Once viewed as highly talented but frustratingly flaky, Silva parlayed his blazing run through England's Cage Rage into a UFC deal, where his destructive blowouts of Chris Leben (Pictures) and Rich Franklin (Pictures) have revamped his rep into that of certifiable killer in the eyes of many.
None too surprisingly, Marquardt isn't fazed by Anderson's recent hit list. Rather, he and his Greg Jackson-led team simply are looking to break down the champion.
"That's what we do for every fight," the challenger said. "We look at their strengths, look at their weaknesses. We drill those positions, and clean up on the basics in all areas so I'm not missing anything."
After his clinch-based vivisection of Franklin to capture the UFC title, Silva's skills in the Thai plumb have seemingly become the stuff of which nightmares are made of for professional fighters. Fans and pundits alike have cited neck-wrestling as the ultimate no-no for Nate in this fight. As you might guess, Marquardt is a bit matter-of-fact on the issue.
"Without giving any game plans away: when I saw the fight with Rich Franklin (Pictures), I didn't see he did anything basic to neutralize that position," revealed Marquardt. "There's a lot of things you can do from that position."
Marquardt's straightforwardness is hardly brusque; it's a grounded, do-what-you-ought-to mentality that has been sharpened over eight years of high-level experience.
"He's got the whole package going for him," trainer Greg Jackson said of Marquardt. "His technique is looking great, his timing is looking great, and he's unflappable. A lot of it is just experience. Nate's been through the ups and downs, and this is nothing new to him."
But Marquardt is quick to point out that his experience may not mean everything: "He has a lot of experience inside and outside the UFC, just as I do. It's going to come down to whose game plan is better, who is better trained, who wants it more."
Eight years of high stakes fights has acclimated Marquardt to these pressure situations. However, his path here, no matter how many title belts were involved, hasn't obscured or diminished the magnitude of the dream he had as a skinny teenager of becoming UFC champion.
"That's been my dream since I started, being the champion of the UFC," he said. "But at the same time, I'm going into this fight just like I would any other fight."
In the biggest fight in a career marked by crucial clashes, Nathan Marquardt (Pictures) stands on the doorstep of an achievement which would morph his moniker of "The Great" from humorously uncharacteristic to decidedly apropos.
However, many fans and critics alike wonder about the implications of a Marquardt title win: in the post-TUF era of the UFC, it is almost expectant to see UFC titlists transform into superstars as the promotion continues to expand in the public consciousness.
"If they want to do their job and market me, that's up to them," Marquardt said, paying little mind to the glitz and glamour that have been lavished upon many of the octagon's standouts as of late.
Marquardt's indifference to the Zuffa hype machine offers a clear message as to who he is. However, like the messages he sent against Crafton Wallace (Pictures) and Dean Lister (Pictures), maybe not everyone can hear it. So, just as he will have the opportunity to do against Anderson Silva on Saturday night, Marquardt makes his statement clear.
"I am just who I am. I'm a fighter."
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