Nate Marquardt

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Nathan Marquardt

Born	April 20, 1979 (1979-04-20) (age�31) Lander, Wyoming
Other names	The Great
Nationality	American
Height	6�ft�0�in (1.83�m)
Weight	183�lb (83�kg; 13.1�st)
Division	185
Reach	74.0�in (188�cm)
Style	Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Gaidojutsu, Boxing, Kickboxing
Fighting out of	Denver, Colorado
Team	Jackson's Submission Fighting, High Altitude Martial Arts
Rank	�� black belt in BJJ
Years active	1999–present MMA
MMA record
Total	40
Wins	29
By knockout	7
By�submission	15
Losses	9
Draws	2
Other information
Notable students	Shane Carwin
Official website
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Nathan Joel Marquardt (born April 20, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist. He is a three-time Middleweight King of Pancrase Champion, and currently fights in the middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Background and training

Marquardt began his training in the martial arts as a teenager, studying the disciplines of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing, Wing Chun, and Kenpo under instructor Alistair McNiven. Additionally, he took lessons in wrestling, and eventually began training under Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor Ricardo Murgel at age 18. Active in sports throughout high school, he contends that he did not become involved in the martial arts until he saw footage of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Although he is perhaps best known for his association with Greg Jackson's Gaidojutsu mixed martial arts team, Marquardt has also trained with Sanae Kikuta and the GRABAKA Dojo in Japan as well as American kickboxer and mixed martial artist Duane "Bang" Ludwig in Colorado.

Marquardt runs an academy, High Altitude Martial Arts, located in Aurora, Colorado.

Career

Marquardt began his professional mixed martial arts career in 1999, amassing victories in various promotions before entering the Bas Rutten Invitational 4 tournament, which was organized in such a manner that the tournament winner was to be offered a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Despite winning the tournament, Marquardt was offered no such contract. Instead, he signed with Japan's Pancrase organization, which had fostered such fighters as Ken Shamrock and Bas Rutten. In his first Pancrase fight, Marquardt lost via submission to Genki Sudo.

Invited back to Pancrase for a middleweight elimination tournament, Marquardt defeated Daiju Takase, Kiuma Kunioku, and Shonie Carter to become the first middleweight King of Pancrase. Marquardt defended this title twice before being defeated by Kunioku in December 2001. A final encounter between the two fighters in December 2002 saw Marquardt defeat Kunioku once again to recapture the King of Pancrase championship, which he held for nearly a year.

Almeida incident

On November 30, 2003, Marquardt was involved in a brief altercation with middleweight opponent Ricardo Almeida in a Pancrase title fight. Marquardt, who was caught in a guillotine choke, tapped out; (Some believe that the referee mistook a repositioning of Marquardt's hand to be a tap. Thus causing Marquardt to believe the fight had not been ended.) The referee, however, was unable to immediately separate the fighters, and the choke remained applied around Marquardt's neck. After he was freed, Marquardt threw a strike at Almeida's face, prompting both corners to storm into the ring�– including Renzo Gracie. Renzo was cornering Almeida, and once in the ring he kicked Marquardt in the face. The confrontation eventually came to an end, and Marquardt approached Almeida after the bout to congratulate him. After Almeida vacated his title in July 2004, Marquardt proceeded to regain the championship in a victory over Kazuo Misaki at Pancrase: Brave 10.

Transition to the UFC

On May 1, 2005, Marquardt defeated Izuru Takeuchi, winning the Pancrase middleweight championship for a seventh time�– the only fighter to ever accomplish such a feat. It was then announced that Marquardt would be making his debut with the UFC in August, live on Spike TV, headlining the inaugural Ultimate Fight Night card in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Although his debut ended in success�– Marquardt earned a decision victory over UFC veteran Ivan Salaverry�– post-fight drug testing controversy led to Marquardt's suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Marquardt tested positive for high levels of nandrolone, which led the commission to file for his suspension. Marquardt maintains that he only used over-the-counter supplements in preparation for his fight. Marquardt was initially suspended for six months and assessed no fine.. Marquardt's suspension was reduced to five months and he was reinstated in January 2006.

With the drug testing controversy resolved, Marquardt was set to make his return to the UFC at UFC 58, fighting a mixed martial arts veteran in Joe Doerksen. The fight proved to be a successful endeavor for Marquardt, as he won a unanimous decision. In the post-fight interview, Marquardt stated his goals of capturing the UFC middleweight championship and his intention to fight then-champion Rich Franklin.

Marquardt then fought Crafton Wallace�– a replacement for Marquardt's original opponent, Thales Leites�– on the undercard of Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter on October 10, 2006, winning by rear naked choke in the second round. Due to his commitment to the UFC, Marquardt relinquished his title as the middleweight King of Pancrase that same month.

At UFC Fight Night 8, Marquardt notched a dominant three-round decision victory over ADCC champion grappler Dean Lister that saw two judges score the bout 30-25 for Marquardt.

Middleweight Title Shot

Following that victory and a 4-0 debut in the UFC, Marquardt was scheduled to compete for the UFC middleweight championship held by Anderson Silva on July 7, 2007 at UFC 73. Marquardt lost the championship bout by technical knockout due to strikes.

After early speculation that Marquardt's contract with the UFC could expire without renewal, he confirmed that a new agreement had been signed with the organization. Marquardt's next match was to be against Thales Leites at UFC 81, but Leites withdrew from the bout due to an injured hand. This marked the second time that a bout between Leites and Marquardt had been cancelled. On January 9, the UFC announced that veteran Jeremy Horn would be Leites' replacement. Marquardt defeated Horn via guillotine choke.

Marquardt finally fought Thales Leites at UFC 85–a fight that had been postponed on two separate occasions since 2006. Marquardt controlled Leites for the second and third round of the fight but landed an illegal knee strike to the head of Leites in the second round and an elbow to the back of the head in the third. The deducted points proved to be crucial in the judging as Leites was deemed victorious in a very controversial split decision, giving Leites a title shot against Anderson Silva. [1].

Marquardt was next scheduled to face Martin Kampmann. Nate defeated Kampmann in 82 seconds by throwing a head kick and landing a barrage of strikes to take the win by TKO in the first round.

Marquardt obtained a second straight win to launch himself back into the title picture at UFC 95, when he defeated well-regarded Brazilian fighter Wilson Gouveia with another barrage of strikes to earn a third round TKO.

Marquardt's next fight was against the then-undefeated submission specialist Demian Maia at UFC 102, which he won via KO 21 seconds into the first round by landing a counter straight right as Maia threw a high kick. Maia fell face down, unable to protect himself. Nate rushed in to follow up with a right hook, but stopped himself once he saw that Maia was visibly hurt.

Following his victory over Maia, Marquardt was scheduled to fight Dan Henderson to determine number 1 contendership to Silva's Middleweight Championship. However Henderson left the UFC for Strikeforce after attempts to agree on a new contract failed. A new bout was arranged between Marquardt and American wrestler Chael Sonnen, scheduled for UFC 110 and later moved to UFC 109. Despite being the favourite to win, Marquardt was taken down at will by Sonnen multiple times during each round. Although able to lock in a guillotine choke late in the 3rd round, Marquardt was not able to finish the submission attempt and lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Marquardt was expected to face Alessio Sakara on July 3, 2010 at UFC 116 but the fight was cancelled after Sakara pulled out due to the death of his father.

Marquardt is expected to face Rousimar Palhares on August 28, 2010 at UFC 118.

Personal life

Marquardt has a wife named Tessa. The couple is expecting their first child together in May 2010.Nate has a daughter named Emmalie from a previous relationship.

Other accomplishments

1999 World Vale Tudo Federation Champion
1999 I.M.A. Rumble In The Rockies Champion
1999 Bas Rutten Invitational 4 Lightweight Champion
2000 Ring of Fire Middleweight Champion
2002 Pancrase Spirit Tour Champion
Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ricardo Murgel
2nd Degree Black Belt in Pancrase Mixed Martial Arts/Jiu-Jitsu

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
40�matches	30�wins	8�losses
By knockout	8	1
By submission	15	2
By decision	8	5
Draws	2

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
		Rousimar Palhares		UFC 118	02010-08-28 August 28, 2010			Boston, Massachusetts, US
Lose	29-9-2	Chael Sonnen	Decision (Unanimous)	UFC 109: Relentless	02010-02-06 February 6, 2010	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, US	Won Fight of the Night Honors
Win	29–8–2	Demian Maia	KO (Punch)	UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira	02009-08-29 August 29, 2009	1	0:21	Portland, Oregon, US	Won Knockout of the Night Honors
Win	28–8–2	Wilson Gouveia	TKO (Strikes)	UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson	02009-02-21 February 21, 2009	3	3:10	London, England
Win	27–8–2	Martin Kampmann	TKO (Strikes)	UFC 88: Breakthrough	02008-09-06 September 6, 2008	1	1:22	Atlanta, Georgia, US
Loss	26–8–2	Thales Leites	Decision (Split)	UFC 85: Bedlam	02008-06-07 June 7, 2008	3	5:00	London, England	Marquardt was docked 1 point in Round 2 for kneeing the head of a downed opponent, and another point in Round 3 for strikes to the back of the head.
Win	26–7–2	Jeremy Horn	Submission (Guillotine Choke)	UFC 81: Breaking Point	02008-02-02 February 2, 2008	2	1:37	Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Loss	25–7–2	Anderson Silva	TKO (Punches)	UFC 73: Stacked	02007-07-07 July 7, 2007	1	4:50	Sacramento, California, US	For UFC Middleweight Championship
Win	25–6–2	Dean Lister	Decision (Unanimous)	Ultimate Fight Night 8	02007-01-25 January 25, 2007	3	5:00	Hollywood, Florida, US
Win	24–6–2	Crafton Wallace	Submission (Rear Naked Choke)	Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter	02006-10-10 October 10, 2006	2	1:14	Hollywood, Florida, US
Win	23–6–2	Joe Doerksen	Decision (Unanimous)	UFC 58: USA vs Canada	02006-03-04 March 4, 2006	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Win	22–6–2	Ivan Salaverry	Decision (Unanimous)	Ultimate Fight Night	02005-08-06 August 6, 2005	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Win	21–6–2	Izuru Takeuchi	Technical Submission (Rear Naked Choke)	Pancrase – Spiral 4	02005-05-01 May 1, 2005	3	2:19	Yokohama, Japan	Defended King of Pancrase Middleweight Championship; Vacated title post-fight
Win	20–6–2	Kazuo Misaki	Decision (Unanimous)	Pancrase – Brave 10	02004-11-07 November 7, 2004	3	5:00	Tokyo, Japan	Won King of Pancrase Middleweight Championship
zDraw	19–6–2	Eiji Ishikawa	Draw	Pancrase – Brave 6	02004-06-22 June 22, 2004	3	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
Loss	19–6–1	Ricardo Almeida	Submission (Guillotine Choke)	Pancrase – Hybrid 10	02003-11-30 November 30, 2003	1	4:53	Tokyo, Japan	Lost King of Pancrase Middleweight Championship
Win	19–5–1	Yuji Hisamatsu	Decision (Unanimous)	Pancrase – Hybrid 8	02003-10-04 October 4, 2003	2	5:00	Osaka, Japan
Win	18–5–1	Steve Gomm	Submission (Punches)	IFC – Global Domination	02003-09-06 September 6, 2003	1	3:28	Denver, Colorado, US
Loss	17–5–1	Keiichiro Yamamiya	Decision (Unanimous)	Pancrase – 2003 Neo-Blood Tournament, Round 2	02003-07-27 July 27, 2003	3	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
Win	17–4–1	Izuru Takeuchi	KO (Punches)	Pancrase – Hybrid 3	02003-03-08 March 8, 2003	1	1:29	Tokyo, Japan	Defended King of Pancrase Middleweight Championship
Win	16–4–1	Kiuma Kunioku	KO (Flying Knee)	Pancrase – Spirit 9	02002-12-21 December 21, 2002	3	4:36	Tokyo, Japan	Won King of Pancrase Middleweight Championship
Loss	15–4–1	Izuru Takeuchi	Decision (Unanimous)	Pancrase – Spirit 7	02002-10-29 October 29, 2002	3	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
Win	15–3–1	Seiki Ryo	Technical Submission (Armbar)	Pancrase – 2002 Neo-Blood Tournament, Round 2	02002-07-28 July 28, 2002	1	1:37	Tokyo, Japan
Win	14–3–1	Kazuo Misaki	TKO (Broken Arm)	Pancrase – Spirit 3	02002-03-25 March 25, 2002	1	0:29	Tokyo, Japan
Loss	13–3–1	Kiuma Kunioku	Decision (Majority)	Pancrase – Proof 7	02001-12-01 December 1, 2001	3	5:00	Yokohama, Japan	Lost King of Pancrase Middleweight Championship
Win	13–2–1	Yuji Hoshino	Submission (Triangle Choke)	Pancrase – Proof 6	02001-10-30 October 30, 2001	3	2:13	Tokyo, Japan	Defended King of Pancrase Middleweight Championship
Loss	12–2–1	Gil Castillo	Decision (Unanimous)	IFC WC 14 – Warriors Challenge 14	02001-07-18 July 18, 2001	5	5:00	California, US
Win	12–1–1	Masaya Kojima	Submission (Armbar)	Pancrase – Proof 3	02001-05-13 May 13, 2001	1	1:45	Tokyo, Japan
Win	11–1–1	Hikaru Sato	Submission (Rear Naked Choke)	Pancrase – Proof 2	02001-03-31 March 31, 2001	1	1:53	Osaka, Japan
zDraw	10–1–1	Kiuma Kunioku	Draw	Pancrase – Trans 7	02000-12-04 December 4, 2000	1	20:00	Tokyo, Japan	Defended King of Pancrase Middleweight Championship
Win	10–1	Kiuma Kunioku	Decision (Unanimous)	Pancrase – 2000 Anniversary Show	02000-09-24 September 24, 2000	1	10:00	Yokohama, Japan	Won King of Pancrase Middleweight Championship; First in Pancrase
Win	9–1	Shonie Carter	Decision (Unanimous)	Pancrase – 2000 Anniversary Show	02000-09-24 September 24, 2000	2	3:00	Yokohama, Japan
Win	8–1	Daiju Takase	KO (Knee)	Pancrase – Trans 4	02000-06-26 June 26, 2000	2	1:30	Tokyo, Japan
Win	7–1	Anthony Washington	Submission (Strikes)	ROF 1 – Ring of Fire 1	02000-03-18 March 18, 2000	N/A		Denver, Colorado, US
Loss	6–1	Genki Sudo	Submission (Armbar)	Pancrase – Breakthrough 11	01999-12-18 December 18, 1999	1	13:31	Yokohama, Japan
Win	6–0	David Harris	Submission (Rear Naked Choke)	BRI 4 – Bas Rutten Invitational 4	01999-08-14 August 14, 1999	1	15:01
Win	5–0	Josh Groves	Submission (Triangle Choke)	BRI 4 – Bas Rutten Invitational 4	01999-08-14 August 14, 1999	1	1:49
Win	4–0	Yves Edwards	Submission (Heel Hook)	BRI 4 – Bas Rutten Invitational 4	01999-08-14 August 14, 1999	1	3:04
Win	3–0	Jose Garcia	Submission	RITR – Rumble in the Rockies	01999-06-07 June 7, 1999	1	3:32	Denver, Colorado, US
Win	2–0	Josh Medina	Submission (Choke)	RITR – Rumble in the Rockies	01999-06-07 June 7, 1999	1	0:27	Denver, Colorado, US
Win	1–0	Mike Lee	Submission	WVF – Durango	01999-04-17 April 17, 1999	2	2:13	Durango, Colorado, US