Recently we passed along news that the UFC had tried to put together a fight between Nate Marquardt and Michael Bisping for UFC 114, but due to the fact that Marquardt’s is expecting his first child to be born that weekend, the accomplished middleweight turned down the bout. Understandable. We’ve been known to turn down engagements simply because we couldn’t find the remote to turn off the TV, so, although we’d love to see that fight, we can’t fault Marquardt for wanting to witness the birth of his first born.
In a recent interview with Fighters Only Magazine, Bisping confirmed that he had agreed to the bout, and goes on to say that he completely understands Marquardt’s decision to be with his wife (it’s expected that Bisping will fight Dan Miller at UFC 114). What does “The Count” think of his chances against Nate “The Great”?
“I think I match up well with Marquardt. He’s had some good momentum behind him but if you look at the guys that he has beaten none of them are amazing. Kampmann went down to welterweight, he got beat by Thales Leites. Wilson Gouveia blows hot and cold, a decent fighter but he’s been axed by the UFC now so there you go. I think I match up well. He is good fighter, great skills, good camp and very experienced but I think I match up well with pretty much anyone in the middleweight division.”
Interesting, although noticeably absent on that list was Marquardt’s 21 second bomb out of Demian Maia, you know, a certain someone that tapped out Chael Sonnen and is fighting Anderson Silva next?