Tag: Nate Marquardt (Page 3 of 4)

Top 10 Welterweight Rankings

June 22, 2011 / Drew Ellis

This week’s rankings turn to the welterweight division.

It has been a busy couple of months in this division as two of the top 10 suffered losses since my last 170-pound rankings came out.

So, without further ado, here are my top 10 in this division.

1. Georges St. Pierre (22-2) – St. Pierre successfully defeated Jake Shields, but did so by decision. His performance wasn’t great, but it was still enough to end a lengthy win streak by Shields. Instead of moving up to middleweight, St. Pierre will now take on Nick Diaz at UFC 137 in October.

2. Jon Fitch (23-3-1) – Fitch is coming off shoulder surgery and is targeting a return in late 2011. He was originally pushing for a title fight, but is now looking toward a rematch with B.J. Penn. With the UFC implementing five-round main events for non-title fights, Fitch would seem to have the edge there as he got stronger as the first fight with Penn went on.

3. Josh Koscheck (15-5) – Koscheck has been on the shelf for a few months now as he recovers from a broken orbital bone. Koscheck should return in late 2011, and hopefully he can continue to show some solid skills when he gets back. A powerful striker and wrestler, Koscheck has the skills to win it all if he can do the little things to put together the whole package.

Fighters, Rankings, Strikeforce, UFC

B.J. Penn Carlos Condit Dong Hyun Kim Georges St. Pierre Jake Shields Jon Fitch Josh Koscheck Nate Marquardt Nick Diaz Rick Story Strikeforce UFC Welterweight Division

UFC Live 4 Preview: Nate Marquardt vs. Rick Story

June 21, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Despite making his 170-pound debut this Sunday, there is a lot of buzz about where Nate Marquardt fits into the UFC welterweight division.

Rick Story just recently proved at UFC 130 that he isn’t someone to be taken lightly after beating Thiago Alves by unanimous decision.

Now, the two will meet, and there is only room for one to climb up the contender ladder.

Here is a look at both fighters heading into this contest.

Nate Marquardt (31-10-2): Nate “The Great” has been one of the top middleweights in the UFC for years but has now decided to make the drop down to welterweight. Marquardt is well rounded, but uses his striking and strong wrestling to win his fights. Marquardt likes to bully his opponents, which is something that Story likes to do as well. His weakness in the new division could be speed and conditioning, as his opponents may be able to push a faster pace.

Rick Story (13-3): Rick Story is on a six-fight win streak as he has worked his way up the 170-pound division. Story is a fearless fighter that will bring the fight to his opponents and not be afraid to let the fight go anywhere. He has strong wrestling and respectable striking. He is pretty much a mauler that just tries to smother his opponents and not let them get comfortable. While his strength has been his wrestling, he may struggle with the size and strength of Marquardt in this fight.

Who Will Win: Story is a tough fighter, but Marquardt has a style that I think will pose problems for him. Grapplers that weren’t as strong as Marquardt have struggled with him and I think that will be the case in this fight. I don’t think Story will be able to get him to the ground and that is when Marquardt’s striking will take over. I look for Marquardt to overwhelm Story and get a clear decision victory.

Events, Fighters, News, UFC

Nate Marquardt Rick Story Thiago Alves UFC Live 4

The highs and lows of Nate Marquardt

June 20, 2011 / Drew Ellis

It is hard to find a more storied career than Nate Marquardt.

Despite never having won a championship, he has prominently been in the title picture for nearly four years now.

Marquardt has a great all-around game, but “The Great” has never been able to come through with the big victory to send him over the top.

As he gets set to return to action on Sunday in his 170-pound debut against Rick Story, I thought I would look at the three biggest wins and losses in his lengthy career.

High – KO win over Demian Maia at UFC 102 – In what was billed as a No. 1 contender’s match in the UFC middleweight division, Marquardt and Maia faced off. It didn’t last long though, as Marquardt recorded a one-punch KO of Maia in just 21 seconds. It was the most devastating finish of his career and one that seemed to have him on track for his second title shot.

Low – Decision loss to Chael Sonnen at UFC 109 – Following the win over Maia, Sonnen was then placed in front of Marquardt and the two had a war, but Marquardt wasn’t able to stay off his back, which is normally a strength for him. Sonnen dictated the location and pace of the fight, which set Marquardt back once again.

Events, Fighters, UFC

Chael Sonnen Demian Maia Jeremy Horn Nate Marquardt Rousimar Palhares Thales Leites Yushin Okami

Your weekly MMA TV Schedule update

June 19, 2011 / Drew Ellis

We have reached Sunday night once again, which means it is time for your MMA on TV update.

This week has a pretty solid amount of content, with Bellator, Strikeforce, and the UFC each have events.

– This week’s MMA on TV gets started on Friday with Strikeforce Challengers 16. The event takes place from the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington. The main card airs live on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET. Friday’s main event is a lightweight clash between Carlos Fodor (8-2) and James Terry (10-2) and lightweight Ryan Couture (2-0) will also make his return to action when he takes on Matt Ricehouse (4-0).

– On Saturday, Bellator 46 takes place to start the newest season of the fight promotion. The event will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino from Hollywood, Florida. The main card airs live on MTV2 at 9 p.m. ET. The quarterfinals of the featherweight tournament will take place with fighters Marlon Sandro, Pat Curran, and others taking part.

– On Sunday, UFC on Versus 4 takes place from the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The card will air on Versus at 9 p.m. ET. The main event of the card is a welterweight clash between Rick Story and Nate Marquardt. Marquardt is making his 170-pound debut. Pat Barry and Cheick Kongo meet in a heavyweight bout while Tyson Griffin and Manny Gamburyan face off in a featherweight contest. Matt Mitrione, Joe Stevenson, and John Howard also have bouts on the night.

Bellator, Events, Fighters, Strikeforce, UFC

Cheick Kongo Manny Gamburyan Nate Marquardt Pat Barry Pat Curran Rick Story Ryan Couture Tyson Griffin

Story steps in for Johnson, will face Marquardt at UFC on Versus 4

June 3, 2011 / Drew Ellis

No rest for the wicked.

Just a few days after scoring the biggest win in his young MMA career, Rick Story found out he won’t have to wait long to return to the octagon, as he will fill in for the injured Anthony Johnson at UFC on Versus 4.

Story will take on Nate Marquardt in his welterweight debut on June 26 from Pittsburgh, Penn. MMAMania.com has the details.

Story has accepted this bout less than a week removed from his three-round war against Thiago Alves at the UFC 130 event on May 28. He absorbed a ton of punishment but outlasted “Pitbull” on his way to a unanimous decision win.
It was the sixth in a row for “Horror” who has been campaigning for a shot at the welterweight title. He’s steadily working his way up the ladder, picking off contenders as he goes.

This fight is just as interesting as Johnson vs. Marquardt, if not more. Story relies on being a bully in the cage, using his size and pressure to win fights. But, Marquardt is just as good at that as anyone and will likely be the bigger fighter of the two.

This will truly be a big test for Story.