Fighters Only

Issue 051

June 2009

STATISTICS

Name: Nate Marquardt

Age: 29

Height: 6’ 1”

Category: Middleweight

Record: 28-8-2

Fighting Style: Kickboxing / jiu-jitsu

Fights out of: Denver, Colorado

Active since: 1999

One of the most well-rounded and dangerous fighters in the middleweight division, Nate ‘The Great’ Marquardt cut his teeth fighting in Japan before signing with the UFC in 2005.

A core member of the team at Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Marquardt can count welterweight champion Georges St Pierre and light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans as training partners, not to mention many other top fighters.

Marquardt began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the age of 18 and holds a black belt in the art, but is a strong wrestler and fierce kickboxer too. He started fighting at 19 years of age in his home state of Colorado, and within less than a year was fighting in the long-running MMA promotion, Pancrase, in Japan.

Though he lost his debut fight in Japan (a submission loss to the wily entertainer Genki Sudo) Marquardt became a fixture of the promotion, fighting a total of 20 times for them over a four and a half year period. He won the inaugural ‘King of Pancrase’ middleweight title, and finished his stay with them as a seven-time winner of the belt.

Since joining the UFC in 2005, Marquardt has carved out his place as one of their top 185lb fighters. He failed in an attempt on Anderson Silva’s title in July 2007, but with solid wins over the likes of Martin Kampmann, Jeremy Horn and Wilson Gouveia, he is positioning himself for a second shot at the Brazilian’s belt.

Versatility

Marquardt began training martial arts as a teen, learning kickboxing and kenpo before starting wrestling in school. Physically small as a teen, and inspired by Royce Gracie, he moved to Brazilian jiu-jitsu at age 18. In addition to his training at Jackson’s MMA in New Mexico, Marquardt has trained extensively with kickboxer Duane Ludwig in Colorado and spent extended periods in Japan at the Grabaka dojo.

Physicality

Though he claims he weighed only 100lb at the age of 15, Marquardt is one of the biggest middleweights out there. A solid 6’1”, he is a strong fighter in every range. His limbs are well-proportioned to his body, further enhancing his ability as an effective all-round fighter.

Power

A solid fighter in every range, Marquardt’s power is not to be underestimated. He can punch and kick with power with both his right and left sides, and generally muscles his opponents around in the clinch, punishing them with dirty boxing and knees.