I guess it wasn’t an emotional reaction from Dana White after all.

Just minutes after Nate Marquardt was declared unable to compete at UFC Live 4, White stated that Marquardt was done with the UFC.

Now, despite Marquardt’s tearful apology and a hoard of Twitter followers trying to influence White to rethink his decision, the UFC President stood firm about his choice during the UFC 132 Pre-Fight Press Conference on Thursday. Here is what White told MMAFighting.com.

“Nate’s done,” said White. “I’m done with Nate. Listen, Nate’s a really nice guy. He’s a really sweet, nice, humble guy, but the facts are the facts and it is what it is. It’s easier to go after a guy like Josh Barnett. He’s just callous and rude and he’s a d–k. So when he does it it’s easier to just go, you know what, f–k Josh Barnett. The difference is, Nate’s such a sweet, nice guy, but the same results.”

“The difference with Chael and Marquardt, is we can talk about everything in the Chael incident. We can’t with Marquardt. I’ve seen some of the stuff people are saying. You think I’m this crazy, emotional psycho. Give me a break. This isn’t the first time. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, give him a second chance.’ This would be like the fourth time.”

“He tested positive before, then apparently he was on suspension with New Jersey, because his levels were high, then he comes into [Pittsburgh] and he doesn’t pass his medicals. Now you tell me: is that the fourth chance? Or is that a second chance? Sounds like a fourth chance to me.”

It appears that Marquardt’s run with the UFC is indeed over and he probably only has himself to blame. Hopefully he still is able to land on his feet in some capacity.

Nate Marquardt went all Chael Sonnen on us.

During Tuesday’s edition of the MMA Hour, Nate Marquardt appeared live in studio with his manager Lex McMahon as they spoke to Ariel Helwani to address his firing from the UFC for a failed medical exam prior to his UFC Live 4 bout with Rick Story.

According to Marquardt, he has been battling low testosterone levels since August of 2010 and began hormone replacement therapy under the advisement of his doctor.

Marquardt had been altering his therapy sessions in terms of frequency and intensity and that caused his testosterone levels to alter.

Three weeks prior to the fight, Marquardt discovered that his testosterone levels were too high to get licensed for the fight. He stopped doing the therapy sessions, but they didn’t bring his levels back to an acceptable level by the time the medical exam took place on Saturday.

The Pennsylvania Athletic Commission suspended Marquardt indefinitely for the failed test, but Marquardt stated that his testosterone levels are now at an acceptable level and he is in the process of getting his license back.

Marquardt also indicated that the hormone therapy was an issue for his UFC 128 bout with Dan Miller, but he still tested at an acceptable level prior to the bout, so he was cleared to fight.

Marquardt says that he used to take andro over the counter until 2005, which he thinks may have led to his low testosterone levels.

Still, Marquardt was fired from the UFC for the failed test on Saturday. Now, remember that Chael Sonnen was caught with high testosterone levels following his bout with Anderson Silva last year and he has not fought again since, but he was never fired by the UFC.

Should the UFC give Marquardt another chance? Did Marquardt tell the whole story?

I am sure we have not heard the last of this.

Nate Marquardt’s loss proved to be Charlie Brenneman’s gain.

“The Spaniard” had a crazy week in his own right, and it ended with him picking up a unanimous win over Rick Story in the co-main event of UFC Live 4 on Sunday night. It also all went down in his home town of Pittsburgh.

Originally scheduled to face T.J. Grant, Brenneman was told he wouldn’t have a fight early in the week after Grant came down with an illness.

Dana White and the UFC told Brenneman to make weight for Saturday and he would earn a winner’s payday. Somehow, that turned out to be a blessing for both parties as Nate Marquardt failed to get a license for his main event bout. Just 24 hours before UFC Live 4 took place, Brenneman was offered to fill in for Marquardt, and he accepted.

What happened in the octagon was Brenneman using his wrestling to keep Story on the ground for two rounds. Story won the third, but was unable to finish the scrappy Brenneman, who improves to 3-1 in the UFC with the win.

It was a tough spot for Story, who was looking to earn the biggest win in his MMA career and then had to take on a fight against an opponent he hadn’t trained for. To me, Story shouldn’t drop in the rankings, as he originally took the fight with Marquardt on short notice to raise his profile. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, we still don’t know what happened.

Darn Pennsylvania privacy laws.

Dana White appeared on the UFC Live 4 preshow to address the Nate Marquardt firing issues.

White wasn’t able to go into detail about just what happened with Marquardt but did say “I’m disgusted with him” and “He has no business in the UFC”.

According to the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission, Marquardt knew six weeks prior to the fight that he would not be granted a license due to a medical issue. Marquardt had time to clear it up, but could not.

The Athletic Commissioner of Pennsylvania, Greg Sirb, said that Marquardt has to step up and admit what he did wrong because he can not say just what happened. He also implied that he is not into “publically embarrassing people.”

White added “I am all about giving people second chances and Nate is one of those people and for him to not fight for the UFC anymore, it’s bad.”

Marquardt has stated in a press release that he will clear up his side of the situation on Tuesday.

So, looks like we still have some questions left unanswered until Marquardt is willing to answer the bell.

But, don’t look for Nate Marquardt to be stepping into the octagon anytime soon.

The show must go on!

Despite all the chaos surrounding Nate Marquardt and the main event of UFC Live 4, the event will still take place on Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET.

Here are my picks for the four main card bouts.

Heavyweight Bout – Cheick Kongo (25-6-2) vs. Pat Barry (6-2) – As much as I would like to see Barry win this fight, I think Kongo’s experience and grappling ability will pay off. Barry has the clear edge in terms of technical striking, but I expect Kongo to push Barry against the cage and win the clinch battle and also score some takedowns to get a decision victory.

Welterweight Bout – Rick Story (13-3) vs. Charlie Brenneman (13-2) – This is a tough spot for Rick Story as it is really lose-lose. He now fights a lesser opponent on 24 hours notice, and that guy is fully prepared for a war, since he was originally scheduled to fight on the card anyway. Brenneman has everything to gain in this fight. Still, I suspect Story will have the skills to control the fight and earn a tough decision.

Welterweight Bout – John Howard (14-6) vs. Matt Brown (13-10) – I am actually going to predict an upset in this one and go with Brown. Brown has done well against strikers and Howard has struggled lately against guys that can pack a punch and negate his striking. Brown also can mix in some takedowns and put on relentless pressure. I will take Brown to win by submission in the third round.

Heavyweight Bout – Matt Mitrione (4-0) vs. Christian Morecraft (7-1) – I like Mitrione to continue his rise up the ranks. He really has a nice diverse striking style that is tough for opponents to counter. I don’t suspect Morecraft has the striking or the grappling to really stop Mitrione from winning this fight. Give me the meathead by decision.