/suspense.
As it turns out, the culprit that caused Nate Marquardt to get suspended by the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission (PAC), pulled from the main event of UFC on Versus 4 and then released from the UFC altogether was testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).
Or, more specifically, his wacky levels that proved to be too high for the PAC to allow him to fight.
Marquardt today appeared on the MMA Hour for a tell-all interview to reveal the circumstances surrounding his issues. According to "The Great," he was experiencing symptoms as early as Aug. 2010, including sluggishness, lack of energy and memory loss. He was diagnosed with low levels of testosterone.
At that point, he began treatment using the "therapeutic use exemption" for his fight against Dan Miller at UFC 128 in New Jersey. Apparently, all was on the up and up at that time.
About three weeks out from his fight against Rick Story, scheduled for June 26, Nate was advised to pursue a more aggressive treatment, which led to blood test results showing elevated levels -- too high to be allowed to compete in a mixed martial arts fight in Pennsylvania.
Marquardt's manager, Lex McMahon, who was also on the show, noted that once it was learned his levels were high, he was advised to discontinue therapy and that's exactly what he did.
However, his levels did not return to normal in time for him to fight. Bye-bye main event, bye-bye job with UFC.
But that's not all.
Marquardt was very open in stating he has nothing to hide and is open to answering any and all questions, even though he and his team hand-picked the outlet and interviewer who would allow him his spot to vent.
It should be noted that Nate was extremely emotional, at one point shedding tears when saying he is the one to blame and he alone -- not his doctor, who was quite clearly a bit reckless in his treatment options.
There was another big admission from the former middleweight title challenger. He finally came clean on his positive steroid test in 2005 (he was caught using Andro, an over the counter supplement), saying he took it for years and hopes it's not the reason for his testosterone issues.
Marquardt also disclosed that he was on TRT for his fight against Yushin Okami in Germany at UFC 122 and his bout against Rousimar Palhares in Texas at UFC Fight Night 22.
There were no issues with his levels at that time and all was, again, apparently on the up and up.
If you're wondering how he administered his TRT treatments, he was taking them in pill form until the lead-up to the Story fight, when he switched to injections. Marquardt believes it's possible this is another reason his levels were elevated. He also thinks his cutting weight and dehydrating himself added to his woes.
He also found out about his firing the same way the rest of us did -- Twitter.
Brutal.
Still, Marquardt maintained throughout the interview that he has absolutely nothing to hide and that he will go to any measure to show that his treatment is legitimate and he would never do anything to jeopardize his ability to provide for his family.
He also said he spoke with Gregory Sirb, representative for the PAC, and was told his suspension is all but lifted now that his levels have returned to normal, which they apparently did the very next day after the event on Sunday.
Sirb spoke with Heavy.com and stated that Marquardt is still suspended at the moment but the paperwork has been filed and they will take a few days to review.
When Nate does return to fighting, he claims he will do so as a welterweight. He hopes to be back with UFC, obviously, but wants to "let the dust settle" before any decisions are made regarding his future.
A lot to digest, Maniacs. What do you think?
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