Marquardt Wanted It, He Got It

Nate Marquardt in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani stated that he wished to move down to 170 pounds and drop out of the title contention he is close to achieving in the middle weight division. He expressed his wish to go ahead and go down because he felt his superior game would be too much to handle for many of the welterweights. Marquardt also believed that because of his natural weight he would have a slight size advantage over whoever is opposite side of the octagon before the bell rings.

Nate is set to face Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson in the upcoming fight, UFC Versus 4. Both powerful strikers with solid wrestling backgrounds, this prove to be a very interesting match-up for both men. If Marquardt wins this match, theoretically, he would be in the welterweight mix for title contention. Current champ Georges St. Pierre has plowed through every man in the welterweight division except current contender Jake Shields. And if GSP gets through the Bay Area native, the two may be set for a match.

This raises a couple of questions due to the recent unwillingness to fight teammates in the future for Nate. He shares a camp with the current champ, Georges St. Pierre. Marquardt stated in the Helwani interview that Georges and himself talked about this decision and that if they met it would be okay with one another. They are such good friends that their belief is when the time comes they will be able have respect for one another but also realize that it is their job. We will wee what happens, but that is still a long ways away.