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."