Father Knows Best: Marquardt Declined Bisping at UFC 114

BROOMFIELD, Colo. -- Middleweight contender Nate Marquardt turned down a potential matchup with “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner Michael Bisping at UFC 114 “Rampage vs. Evans” on May 29 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. He made the revelation during a question-and-answer session on Saturday at the 1stBank Center.

Marquardt and his wife, Tess, are expecting their first child -- he has a daughter from a previous relationship -- two days prior to the event, and the former middleweight King of Pancrase did not want to risk missing the birth while preparing for the fight.

“Lucky for Bisping,” he said with a smile.

The 30-year-old Marquardt has not competed since he dropped a unanimous decision to Chael Sonnen in the co-main event at UFC 109 “Relentless” last month in Las Vegas. The defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak for the Coloradan and kept him from a rematch with UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva.

“It’s something I still think about every day,” Marquardt said. “Something happened in that fight [with Sonnen]. I went into the fight trying for the knockout, and when you go forward too aggressively against a wrestler, that’s when he gets the takedown. I went too far forward, and he was able to get in every time. I don’t want to make excuses. I lost the fight. I just need to make myself better.”

Silva will instead defend his 185-pound crown against Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia at UFC 112 “Invincible” on April 10 at the Ferrari World Concert Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Marquardt knocked out Maia in just 21 seconds in August but did not question the Brazilian’s place in the headliner.

“I don’t think he’s any less deserving,” Marquardt said. “I lost my last fight. He lost to me, but [one] fight later, he got a title shot. That’s encouraging to me.”

Marquardt -- who does not have a scheduled fight at the next four major UFC events -- weighed in on the upcoming welterweight title bout between champion Georges St. Pierre and British upstart Dan Hardy. Marquardt trains regularly with St. Pierre in Montreal.

“I was up there last week,” Marquardt said. “I really think Georges is going to outclass Hardy in this fight. I think Hardy’s a great up-and-coming fighter, a good striker with a lot of heart, but there’s a class difference.”

Even in the area where Hardy has his greatest chance -- on the feet -- Marquardt believes St. Pierre has the edge.

“I think Georges’ striking is 10 times better than Hardy’s, but he’s not going to go in there and go punch-for-punch with him,” he said. “That’s not something anybody would do.”

Marquardt thinks training with St. Pierre, a man universally regarded as one of the top three pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, forced him to improve his own game.

“When I put my fighter hat on,” Marquardt said, “I look at him and say, ‘What is he doing right? I need to copy that.’”

Marquardt will also have a vested interest in the UFC 111 co-main event, as his Grudge Training Center teammate, Shane Carwin, will collide with Frank Mir for the interim heavyweight championship. He believes most of the pressure rests on the shoulders of Mir, who has become obsessive in his quest for a rubber match with Brock Lesnar.

“He’s expected to win against Shane,” Marquardt said. “He’s got the experience. But Shane’s just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than Brock Lesnar. The guy hits so hard. I’ve never seen anyone who hits as hard as Shane. All it takes is one punch. All it takes is one takedown and some ground-and-pound. This was a very dangerous fight for Mir to take.”