Just yesterday I was analyzing the UFC Live 4 card, really excited for a solid free TV event by the UFC. My excitement was largely due to a big-time main event between Nate Marquardt and Rick Story.
Then, today happened.
First, word came that Marquardt didn’t pass his pre-fight physical and was out of the fight.
Then, Dana White dropped this little bomb:
Neither White or Marquardt’s camp are commenting on the firing. I mean, what could have happened to get him fired entirely?
In a big blow to the UFC Live 4 card, headliner Nate Marquardt will not be able to compete against Rick Story on Sunday after failing the pre-fight physical.
Following the failed physical, UFC President posted this, stating Marquardt will no longer be with the UFC
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned that Marquardt is a late scratch from Sunday’s UFC on Versus 4 event, and opponent Rick Story (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) will now instead meet Charlie Brenneman (12-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) on the evening’s main card.
With the late change, a highly-anticipated heavyweight bout between Pat Barry (6-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Cheick Kongo (15-6-2 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) has now been promoted to main-event status.
The reason for Marquardt’s last-minute withdrawal, mere hours before he was scheduled to hit the scales at the event’s official weigh-ins, wasn’t immediately evident. However, Marquardt’s camp did release a statement insisting the setback was temporary and his future still lies at 170 pounds.
“Nate is really disappointed,” the statement read. “He really was looking forward to making his welterweight debut, and he plans to be back in there as soon as possible.”
Brenneman is the replacement, but that probably won’t suit Story, who took this fight on short notice for a chance to really thrust himself into the title picture. This fight seems like a lose-lose situation for Story.
For Marquardt, it is hard to know what will happen next, but clearly there is still more to this story.
The odds for UFC Live 4 have been released, courtesy of BetOnFighting.com, and there are some interesting betting lines for the event.
In the main event, Rick Story is actually favored at -130 against Nate Marquardt, who is making his welterweight debut with a money line of +100.
Story is on a nice run, but Marquardt seems to have the better package to me. Marquardt may not be getting the respect due to his past struggles with wrestlers, but Story doesn’t have the same size that Marquardt had to deal with when he fought the likes of Chael Sonnen and Yushin Okami.
In the co-main event, Cheick Kongo is favored to beat Pat Barry as Kongo has a line of -205 while Barry has odds of +165.
Kongo has the experience factor on Barry, who has still not quite lived up to his potential. Barry has really been drilling his ground game, which will be key in this contest.
For complete odds for each of Sunday’s fights, check out the jump.
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.
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.
