The UFC will hold a media conference call today (June 14, 2011) live at 2 p.m. ET in advance of UFC on Versus 4: "Marquardt vs. Story" which goes down next Sunday (June 26, 2011) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Attending today's call will be welterweights Nate Marquardt and Rick Story, who will be headlining the event as they battle for contender status in the crowded UFC 170-pound division.
Nate Marquardt once fought for the UFC middleweight title and as recently as last November was fighting to be the number one contender in the 185 pound division. He'll be making his welterweight debut next Sunday night
Rick Story is currently riding a six fight win streak in the welterweight division and recently defeated former title challenger Thiago Alves at UFC 130 just two weeks ago. He stepped in on late notice when Marquardt's original opponent, Anthony Johnson, went down with an injury.
Live updates of the UFC on Versus 4: "Marquardt vs. Story" call after the jump.
Brian Hemminger here on standby. Call to begin shortly.
On his weight cut
Nate Marquardt: My weight right now is very good. I'm really not worried about the weight cut. It's something I've done in the past and this time I actually have a dietitian helping me out as well. The weight cut is not serious for me.
Nate Marquardt: My gameplan against Johnson was very basic and my gameplan against Story is very basic. It's not a huge change for me. A last minute change like that can be tough if there's a huge difference in gameplan but it's not.
Rick Story: We were looking for a fight quick, maybe not so quick but with Anthony Johnson dropping out, we took the opportunity to take this fight.
Rick Story: I've fought against strong opponents in the past, really strong big guys. I don't really know what to expect. I know Nate was a really strong middleweight fighter so I'm sure he'll be strong at welterweight.
Rick Story: I can see [Jon Fitch's] standpoint but I'll fight whoever whenever.
Rick Story: There was no hesitation at all in taking this fight. The challenge is sticking with an intense training regimen and staying away from injury. At the same time, it's awesome jumping right back into training camp when you're in great shape and get ready for another fight.
On where a win puts them
Rick Story: I think a win would put me up there. It would open some people's eyes and maybe even put me in line for a shot.
Nate Marquardt: I guess a win would put me at the top. Rick's a very tough guy, he just beat Alves who was a former world title contender and I'm just excited for the opportunity.
On how his body felt like after the Alves fight
Rick Story: I was a little sore to be honest but it wasn't anything I wasn't used to from training. I train really intense and it felt like I'd went through the ringer in a hard practice and got beat up a bit. I got back inside a week and I was training that Wednesday already.
On how he feels at a lighter weight.
Nate Marquardt: I changed a few things in the diet and a little bit more in the practice as well and they were both positive changes for me and like I said, it ended up making me walk around lighter and I felt a lot better. I felt like I had the stamina that I had when I was 20 years old. I haven't lost any strength, my power's went up and my speed has went up. I feel great.
On why who advised him to take the fight on short notice.
Rick Story: My coach Pat White advised me. Before I fought in the UFC, I was fighting every month and I was putting on the best fights of my career and I was feeling great so I was willing to do it for sure. I don't look at this as a big deal. We're in the fight game. We're gonna fight, so why not fight often?
on Jon Fitch
Rick Story: I've already called him out. I'll just wait and see what happens and who they match together. I'm not big into dwelling on calling people out so we'll see what happens.
On his third round against Alves
Rick Story: That was in the gameplan, to go out swinging in the third round. In his past performances, Thiago's faded in the third round and I wanted to take it to him. I'm happy with my performance. Obviously I'd like to come out getting hit a little less. I like to stand and trade. I like to fight and I like to throw.
On what stands out in Rick Story
Nate Marquardt: I'm sure the odds going into that fight were definitely going into Rick's favor. Obviously he did a great job.
On if the plans on staying at middleweight
Nate Marquardt: This is a permanent division move. A lot of people were asking about a fight with Bisping but I'm not going to back up. My cardio is excellent and I can train 100% every day. I just feel like an animal so I see this as a permanent move.
On how close he is to a title shot.
Rick Story: It depends on how this fight goes. If I were to get a finish over a guy like Nate, that would be a big statement.
On fighting five round non-title fights
Rick Story: I'm totally for it, but I feel we should be compensated. If we fight those two extra rounds, we should be paid for it.
And that's a wrap.