There was a time when a lot of MMA fans (at least from what are dulled senses could tell) weren’t exactly ‘keen’ about seeing Nate Marquardt throw down with Anderson Silva for a second time. Really, after Silva pounded on Marquardt’s head in piston like fashion at UFC 73, the ‘yeah…I think I’ve seen enough’ vibe was pretty understandable.
Since the loss, however, Marquardt has done a damn fine job in campaigning for a rematch, taking his game up to a new level with ‘holy sheeet’ stoppages of Demian Maia, Martin Kampmann and Wilson Gouveia. Marquardt’s opponent for this weekend, Chael Sonnen, is a different breed of fighter than Maia, Gouveia, or Kampmann though; he’s a dude whose wrestling has turned a lot of notable fighters into Octagon ragdolls. Speaking to MMA Weekly Radio recently, Nate “The Great” stated:
“He’s definitely a very tough guy. I don’t think he’s super well known, but he’s definitely one of the best fighters at 85,” Marquardt said. “He beat Paulo Filho and Yushin Okami, who are both top ten ranked guys. He has a great wrestling background, his striking has come along, he definitely can hang on his feet, and he has very good submission defense, good ground and pound.”
We agree. Sonnen tends to get overlooked at times, (although his recent rant on Silva likely raised a few thousand WTF eyebrows) and if Marquardt can pound out Sonnen Saturday night, he should face the winner of Silva / Belfort no?
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