For Nate Marquardt, entering the welterweight division will be a change for the former 185 lb contender, as he looks to compete against Rick Story at UFC on Versus 4.
Marquardt will be walking into the bout at a much lighter weight, but he will also be one of the bigger guys competing in the division.
In an exclusive interview with MMAWeekly.com, Marquardt addressed his choice to move down a weight class, saying he feels comfortable walking around at a lighter weight.
“For my last fight, I was walking around a little bit lighter and I just felt way better,” Marquardt said.
While going 10-4 during his tenure in the middleweight division, Marquardt said he never thought about transitioning to a new weight class. But after some convincing from fellow training partner and UFC Welterweight champion, Georges St-Pierre, he decided to make the move.
But his opponent, Rick Story, will not be an easy task. Story has quickly become one of the top prospects in the welterweight division. He has risen through the rankings and earned wins over Thiago Alves, Dustin Hazelett and Johnny Hendricks. Should Marquardt pick up a win in his debut, he will ascend up the rankings and possibly earn a title shot in the near future.
But for now, Marquardt is only focused on his opponent.
“We just kinda’ decided that I need to do what’s best for me and right now I’m fighting Rick Story and that’s all there is to it,” he said.
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