.gif: Nate Marquardt's leg looks like ground beef after five rounds of Tarec Saffiedine kicking it endlessly. The persistence paid off for Saffiedine, who slowed Marquardt considerably and simultaneously piled up points to win the Strikeforce welterweight belt in a big upset. For more on the fight click here.
Nate Marquardt has cut ties with UK promotion BAMMA. We take a look at the circumstances surrounding his new-found free agency and consider what's next for the former UFC title challenger.
Nate Marquardt will reportedly make his return to MMA action when he debuts at BAMMA 8 this coming December, according to MMA Weekly. "The Great" will also be making his return to the welterweight division, as he is resolved to compete at 170-pounds. No opponent has been determined just yet but maybe you matchmaker Maniacs can come up with someone for him. Any ideas?
Nate Marquardt is reportedly in negotiations to make his first post-UFC appearance on the upcoming Amazon Forest Combat fight card going down on Sept. 14 in Brazil, according to Tatame.com. Royler Gracie and Paulo Filho have already signed on to compete at the event and the promotion is said to also be in talks with UFC veterans Patrick Cote and Marcus Davis.
With his PSAC suspension just lifted, Nate Marquardt now responds to his recent critics in an interview with MMA Junkie: "Some of the fighters that think they're so cool and tough by kicking a guy when he's down – as far as my career, this has been one of the worst times of my life, and these guys are calling me a cheater and talking crap – I've taken note as to who those guys are, and I'm going to come for them. Eventually, I'll get them. I don't care if it's in a superfight or if they want to come down to my gym. I'll beat them up for free." "I think you know who these guys are – Ben Askren, B.J. Penn, Paul Daley, Hector Lombard, cowards talking crap about a guy when he's in such a situation. They're trying to take advantage of the situation. They're bullies. Those are the guys I want to beat up." "I'm not putting the blame on everyone else," Marquardt said. "Everyone had their little piece of fault, but I accept my part in the blame. The fault that I had, I take responsibility for. There are a few little things that if I could go back in time and change them, I wouldn't be in this position. There's things I'm doing now that will prevent this from ever happening again or ever becoming an issue. "The truth is going to come out over time. It has already started to come back. I was under suspension for literally less than three weeks, and my suspension was lifted. I didn't get any fines. This hasn't happened before in this sport, and it shows that I wasn't cheating. I have hope. There are crap-talkers like B.J. Penn who want to kick a guy when he's down, and I would love to fight that guy."
