UFC middleweight Nate Marquardt (30-9-2) finds himself fighting for another #1 contender position on Nov. 13th against Yushin Okami at UFC 122. Previously, he lost a unanimous decision to Chael Sonnen at UFC 109 in the same situation.
Having seen how close Sonnen came to winning the UFC middleweight title against champ Anderson Silva, if Marquardt earns the next title shot, he’ll follow his own game plan for the fight.
“To say that (Sonnen showed a blueprint) is really silly, in my opinion, because he lost,” Marquardt said. “Even though he beat the crap out of Anderson for four rounds he ended up losing and that’s party because of the way he was fighting.
“Some of the same things he was doing that created openings for him to do damage and hold him down are the same things that put him in trouble of getting caught. I have my own game plan.”
Marqurdt has gone 4-1 in his last five bouts. He defeated Rousimar Palhares in September, lost to Sonnen at UFC 109, while earning wins over Demian Maia at UFC 102, Wilson Gouveia at UFC 95, and Martin Kampmann at UFC 88.
Read the entire interview and Marquardt’s comments on facing anyone on steroids at LasVegasSun.com.