With the expectation that former UFC middleweight Nate ‘The Great’ Marquardt would debut with BAMMA this December as part of the promotions BAMMA 8 card, it was a bit of surprise to fans when the promotion announced he’d actually make his debut in February.
As part of a Press Release for BAMMA 8, the British Academy of Mixed Martial Arts stated Marquardt would debut against another former UFC vet, Yoshiyuki ‘Zenko’ Yoshida (13-6), on February 11th at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England as part of the BAMMA 9 card.
Coincidentally, the venue also hosts tomorrow’s UFC 138 event.
Marquardt signed with BAMMA earlier this fall after his suspension for high testosterone levels was lifted by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission. ‘The Great’ had been using hormone replacement therapy for low testosterone levels, but due to a miscalculation was not able to meet the Pennsylvania state levels for testosterone before a scheduled fight with Rick Story at UFC on Versus 4. He was immediately released from the UFC at that time.
Previous to that incident, Marquardt was 2-1 over his last three bouts, having his last fight in March at UFC 128 earning a decision victory over Dan Miller. Before that, he lost a No. 1 contender match to Yushin Okami at UFC 122 and had stopped Rousimar Palhares at UFN 22 by TKO.
Yoshida made five Octagon appearances, with the last one taking place in 2010. He was cut after a second straight defeat. Since that time, ‘Zenko’ has gone 2-1 most recently beating Phil Baroni by unanimous decision in September at the ONE FC: Champion vs. Champion event. The Japanese fighter has earned seven wins by (T)KO, three by submission, and twice by decision over his career.