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"I was a better standup fighter than Anderson."

1K views 12 replies 13 participants last post by  Bonnar426 
#1 ·
New Marquardt article. It's not a bad writeup, but Marq does proclaim some outlandish statements...

"Everyone that interviewed me asked me the same questions and basically said 'this is what everyone thinks you need to do, is get it to the ground,' " Marquardt said. "I should have went in with more confidence in my stand up, because when I got in there I realized I was a better stand-up fighter than him."

What really disappointed me from these confessions, it seemed like he was nervous. Of all the guys, I thought Nate was gonna be the last person to be affected by the media hype and such. This isn't unfamiliar territory for Nate. He's been King of Pancrase seven times.

Mile High Newspapers Online

Watching Nate Marquardt dole out punishment inside the "Octagon," it's easy to forget perception doesn't always translate into reality.



Ultimate Fighting Championship's Nate Marquardt graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in 1997. Since the age of 15, Marquardt has focused on attaining his goal of fighting in the Octagon and pursuing a title.

Marquardt, a 1997 graduate of Wheat Ridge High School, has staked his reputation world-wide on his ability to pound opponents into submission inside the caged ring made famous by the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The truth is Marquardt is soft-spoken and friendly, an athlete who doesn't lack for confidence but manages to stay grounded at the same time.

Since joining the UFC in 2005, the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder has made a big impact on the mixed martial arts scene, including drawing main-event status at a pay-per-view fight July 7 in Sacramento, Calif.

The bout didn't go quite as he had planned. Marquardt's bid for the middleweight championship came up short in a loss to Anderson Silva by technical knockout, which will force Marquardt to work his way back up through the ranks in order to receive another shot at the title.

"I know it's just a test and it's just something that I have to get through and work my way back to another title shot," he said recently after a grueling training session at T's K.O. Fight Club in Wheat Ridge. "I know I'm the best and just one loss isn't going to change my mind."

Marquardt, a seven-time middleweight King of Pancrase in Japan who had won his first four UFC bouts in impressive fashion, became a media sensation in the weeks leading up to his battle with Silva, garnering attention from Internet outlets such as ESPN.com and SI.com. Marquardt was also featured prominently on SPIKE TV's Countdown to UFC 73 shows.

Everyone wanted a piece of the former Farmer, wanting to talk about his past as an undersized athlete who only weighed 130 pounds at his high school graduation.



Nate Marquardt, left, spars with Christian Allen during training at T's K.O. Fight Club in Wheat Ridge on Aug. 2. Marquardt recently headlined an Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view fight in Sacramento, Calif., against Anderson Silva on July 7.

It got to the point that Marquardt was a bit overwhelmed by all the interviews.

"It's the normal thing to wonder why did you get into this sport, what drives you and things like that," said Marquardt, who has a career record of 25-7-2 in MMA bouts. "It's normal, but yeah, you get tired of it."

Looking back, he wonders if he didn't buy into the hype a little against Silva. Marquardt said he was repeatedly asked if he would be better off trying to take his opponent down early and work from the mat.

"Everyone that interviewed me asked me the same questions and basically said 'this is what everyone thinks you need to do, is get it to the ground,' " Marquardt said. "I should have went in with more confidence in my stand up, because when I got in there I realized I was a better stand-up fighter than him."

Instead Silva took Marquardt down, and the referee stopped the fight late in the first round after Silva landed a series of punches to Marquardt's head.

"It's devastating, just because that's what I've been working for 13 years," Marquardt said. "I fought out in Japan for a long time and was the champion out there, and I worked my way up and fought some of the best guys in the UFC and beat them and got a title shot.

"All that training and preparation is gone in five minutes."

The loss hasn't deterred him though. Marquardt is already thinking ahead to his next fight, which could come within the next six months. He's training hard, both at T's K.O. Fight Club and at High Altitude Martial Arts, a gym he owns in Aurora with his wife, Tessa.

His national exposure has led to a growing fan base. Marquardt is recognized more in public, a fact he finds flattering. He's come a long way since his time at Wheat Ridge, where he started training in mixed martial arts at the age of 15 after watching another undersized fighter, Royce Gracie, dominating the UFC scene.

A second-degree black belt in Japanese jiu-jitsu and a first degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Marquardt has grown in both size and stature since those days.

"My parents always taught me to never give up and always follow your dreams and believe in yourself," he said. "It's true. It seems like when you're in high school, it seems a lot bigger than it really is. It seems like if you're not the star athlete in high school or you're small or whatever, that it's really discouraging to a lot of kids. I was just fortunate enough to stick with it 100 percent."
 
#8 ·
Bullshit he was 6'1 and weighed 130 pounds. Don't feed me these "rising from the ashes" sob stories.

But I'm sorry to hear his comment about feeling his standup was better. Whether it was or not, I always want a fighter to walk away from a loss thinking he gave it his 100% best effort, and kept the fight where he felt the strongest. Nothing sits worse on a guy than thinking he fought stupid and lost where he was weak. On the flipside, if he had gotten KO'ed he would probably be thinking, "Snap, I should've taken it to the ground like everyone said," but you never know. Either way though, Anderson is the better fighter and would beat him just as bad a second time.
 
#11 ·
I like Nate, I really do, but he needs to just let it go, and admit that he got beat by a better fighter that night. You got beat convincingly and impressively, so trying to justify your performance is like an obese person trying to justify their weight. It's obvious you lost, it's obvious that the obese person is obese, so let it go.
 
#13 ·
Give it up Marquardt. You got beat by better fighter! What you need to do is get your ass to the gym, train your ass off, improve on your skills, and start working your way back to the top. Stop with the excuses and get to work!
 
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