UFC Live 4: Nate Marquardt Pulled, a Great Opportunity for Pat BarryBleacher Report’s Leon Horne:MMAjunkie.com confirmed earlier today that Nate Marquardt did not receive medical clearance to fight in the main event against Rick Story for UFC on Versu…
UFC Live 4: Nate Marquardt Pulled, a Great Opportunity for Pat Barry
Bleacher Report’s Leon Horne:
MMAjunkie.com confirmed earlier today that Nate Marquardt did not receive medical clearance to fight in the main event against Rick Story for UFC on Versus 4 in Pittsburgh this coming Sunday.
A fight between heavyweight gatekeeper Cheick Kongo and former K1 kickboxer Pat Barry was already scheduled for tomorrow’s card, but has now been slotted as the main event.
This is a big opportunity for Pat Barry and with a 3-2 record in the UFC, he really needs to seize the day.
Barry took the leap from K1 to mixed martial arts in 2008; he has an overall record of 6-2 and like any pure striker that transitions to mixed martial arts—he has struggled with the grappling aspect of the sport.
Both his losses came by way of submission, one to UFC castaway Tim Hague and the other to a man known more for his head kicks than submissions, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.
A 3-2 record in the UFC is nothing to write home about and one or two more losses for most guys could spell disaster for their UFC career.
Luckily for Barry, he has the qualities fans, media and the UFC brass like to see in a fighter—all he needs now is the winning streak.
Following the news that Nate Marquardt has been removed from his main event fight at UFC on Versus 4 against Rick Story and subsequently released from his UFC contract, this fight card may not have the star power that it once had.Still, even without Ma…
Following the news that Nate Marquardt has been removed from his main event fight at UFC on Versus 4 against Rick Story and subsequently released from his UFC contract, this fight card may not have the star power that it once had.
Still, even without Marquardt, for a free event on Versus, the UFC is giving us some surprisingly good fights with fairly high-ranked fighters.
It’s always fun to look at the pound-for-pound rankings lists in MMA, but rarely do we go deep enough to include guys who will be competing on the undercard.
In this article, however, we’ll count down all 22 fighters who remain on this fight card which will now be headlined by the heavyweight contest between Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry.
In a stunning turn of events, UFC President Dana White announced via a short video posted on his Twitter account that Nate Marquardt will no longer fight for the UFC.”It’s true. He failed his medicals. Not only is he out of this fight, out of the …
In a stunning turn of events, UFC President Dana White announced via a short video posted on his Twitter account that Nate Marquardt will no longer fight for the UFC.
“It’s true. He failed his medicals. Not only is he out of this fight, out of the main event on Versus, he will no longer be with the UFC,” White said.
Earlier today, Marquardt was pulled from the main event of Sunday’s planned bout with Rick Story due to yet to be known reasons that led to him not being medically cleared.
The bout, originally against Anthony Johnson who was forced to withdraw from the fight, was going to be Marquardt’s debut at welterweight.
Charlie Brenneman will now face Rick Story instead while the Pat Barry versus Cheick Kongo fight will be promoted to the main event.
Marquardt has yet to speak on the failed medical clearance or being released.
UFC President Dana White’s statement today regarding Nate “The Great” Marquardt has directly impacted not only the UFC Live 4 promotion being held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania tomorrow evening, but Marquardt’s sudden walking papers from the world’s larg…
UFC President Dana White‘s statement today regarding Nate “The Great” Marquardt has directly impacted not only the UFC Live 4 promotion being held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania tomorrow evening, but Marquardt’s sudden walking papers from the world’s largest MMA promotion has created an instant buzz within the ultimate fighting community.
According to Bloodyelbow.com, White issued a statement saying that Nate Marquardt is not only removed from the main event in tomorrow night’s promotion, but he is no longer a member of the UFC.
Swift and decisive action was taken by UFC matchmaker Joe Silva in replacing Marquardt with Charlie “The Spaniard” Brenneman to face Rick “The Horror” Story in the main event.
Reverberations were voiced by various active UFC fighters. Taking to Twitter, UFC middleweight fighter Brian Stann commented, “I am so confused on the recent announcement concerning Nate Marquardt, one of the nicest guys I’ve met in MMA.”
Additionally, journalist Ariel Helwani has tweeted that an “exclusive statement from Marquardt and his camp” will be delivered during tomorrow’s pre-show at 8 pm EST.
Shrouded in questions, why Marquardt was released is not entirely known. Tomorrow’s announcement by “The Great” will clarify the rationale behind his exit from the UFC.
Until answers are provided, I can only report on the now. And the now pertains to who Nate Marquardt is as a mixed martial artist.
This three-time middleweight King of Pancrase champion is currently the No. 4 ranked best middleweight in the world by Sherdog.com.
With an overall MMA record of 31-10 with 15 submission victories and 10 knockout wins, Marquardt has challenged for the UFC middleweight crown at UFC 73 in 2007.
A very balanced and diverse fighter, Marquardt possesses excellent stand-up skills with solid counter striking, excellent power in both hands, and the ability to effectively implement leg kicks into his arsenal of offensive weapons.
Versed on the ground as a second degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Marquardt has locked up impressive tapout victories over BJJ wizard Jeremy Horn and an arm-breaking arm bar back in 2002 over Kazuo Misaki.
Additional victories over top-tier talent include wins against Martin Kampmann, Demian Maia and Dan Miller.
Deciding to compete within the UFC welterweight division, Marquardt’s debut at 170 pounds was scheduled to take place tomorrow evening against Rick Story at UFC Live 4.
A tremendous talent at 185 pounds, Marquardt’s future may include a run for the Bellator middleweight championship against the ferocious Cuban, Hector Lombard.
Rumors may also swirl if Marquardt decides to remain within the welterweight division and compete for BAMMA overseas.
If the BAMMA promotion is a possibility for “The Great,” a matchup against British star Paul Daley will be inevitable.
The future for Nate Marquardt is certainly unclear. What is clear, however, is that Marquardt is an extremely gifted mixed martial artist and will not remain a free agent very long.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for up-to-the-minute news and coverage regarding this explosive turn within the UFC welterweight division.
Additionally, I will be sitting cage-side at UFC Live 4 in Pittsburgh and will provide insight as to “The Great’s” release.
After failing to be medically cleared for tomorrow night’s UFC on Versus 4 headlining bout, Nate Marquardt has been fired from the UFC according to Dana White, who posted in a Twitter video: “I’m sure.
After failing to be medically cleared for tomorrow night’s UFC on Versus 4 headlining bout, Nate Marquardt has been fired from the UFC according to Dana White, who posted in a Twitter video:
“I’m sure you heard that Nate Marquardt is out. It’s true. He failed his medicals. Not only is he out of this fight, and out of the main event on Versus, he will no longer be with the UFC.”
Marquardt was supposed to make his Welterweight debut against Rick Story, but Story will now take on Charlie Brenneman who needed a match up when TJ Grant pulled out of his bout following an illness. Marquardt has not responded via Twitter or any other outlet. We can see why White would be pissed he lost his headlining match up so close to the fight, but it must have been a pretty big bombshell to make him drop “The Great” so fast. Afterall, even Chael Sonnen remains on the UFC roster.
MMAjunkie.com confirmed earlier today that Nate Marquardt did not receive medical clearance to fight in the main event against Rick Story for UFC on VS 4 in Pittsburgh this coming Sunday.The fight would have been Marquardt’s welterw…
MMAjunkie.com confirmed earlier today that Nate Marquardt did not receive medical clearance to fight in the main event against Rick Story for UFC on VS 4 in Pittsburgh this coming Sunday.
The fight would have been Marquardt’s welterweight debut.
Details aren’t out as to exactly why he wasn’t medically cleared to fight and whether or not it had to do with the weight cut down to 170 pounds remains unknown.
Shortly after the announcement Dana White addressed the public by Tweeting a video stating that Marquardt will no longer be with the UFC.
Obviously this is bad news for the UFC and the card for tomorrow night will now feature Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry as the main event.
Marquardt can’t be happy to find out that he is out of a job for the time being.
Fans were looking forward to Marquardt’s debut.
All things considered, the real loser this weekend is welterweight up and comer Rick Story.
Aside from a decision loss to John Hathaway in his UFC debut, Story is riding a six-fight winning streak that saw him take down the likes of welterweight up-and-comers Johny Hendricks and Dustin Hazelett and most recently a win over UFC veteran and former number one contender Thiago Alves—Story is on a roll.
When Marquardt’s original opponent Anthony Johnson was forced to step out it didn’t take long for Story to jump on the opportunity even if it meant fighting twice in less than a month.
A win over Marquardt was just the thing Story needed to launch him to the next level. Back to back wins over Alves and Marquardt would have been enough to start talking title contention.
With Marquardt pulling out, Story is now faced with having taken a fight on short notice against Charlie Brenneman—a guy who is only three fights into his UFC career and not a big name on anybody’s radar just yet.
In other words, fighting Brenneman is a step down from Story’s last opponent Alves and not the fight that is going to get him into title contention even if he wins.
One has to wonder if Story would have accepted the fight on short notice had he known it would be against Brenneman and not Marquardt.
A fight with Brenneman is a risky affair for Story.
Win or lose against Marquardt, the risk would have been worth the reward.
If Story beat Marquardt he would have been that much closer to a title shot; should he have lost, people knew he took the fight on short notice—and Marquardt being a former number-one contender in the next weight class up meant it was okay to lose to him.
Against Brenneman there isn’t much upside besides another win in the win column and a loss to him would be devastating.
Brenneman is only 2-1 in the UFC and he took the fight against Story on less than a day’s notice. If Story loses this fight it will put him at the back of the line—something a loss to Marquardt would have never done.
Although a win over Brenneman won’t mean much aside from extending a win streak, Story has to treat the fight with as much importance as his fight with Thiago Alves and the fight he was supposed to have with Marquardt—a loss to Brenneman could be a turning point in Story’s young career.
Leon Horne has been contributing to Bleacher Report for three years now. He focuses mainly on mixed martial arts, but he has also written about tennis, football and hockey. Just send him a message if you want to talk sports or discuss any opportunities. You can follow him on Twitter for updates:
In a stunning turn of events, UFC President 
