Marquardt: I’m much better and physically a lot stronger and faster
It is fitting given his soft-spoken demeanor that Nate Marquardt has very quietly been among the top-rated middleweights in the…
It is fitting given his soft-spoken demeanor that Nate Marquardt has very quietly been among the top-rated middleweights in the world for years. The 30-year-old Coloradan is 9-2 over his last 11 fights, with his only losses coming to awe-inspiring champion Anderson Silva and the former No. 1 contender Thales Leites, a fight in which Marquardt had two points deducted for fouls and still only narrowly lost by split-decision.
At UFC 102, Marquardt (28-8-2) will square off with unbeaten Brazilian ground wizard Demian Maia. The winner is not likely to receive a title shot, as UFC President Dana White has indicated Dan Henderson is the likely next foe for “the Spider,” but a win will certainly move Marquardt right on Henderson’s tail.
The contender recently took a few minutes from his training to talk to FanHouse about his recent improvement, the risk of going to the ground with Maia, and chasing the title.
Mike Chiappetta: In your last couple of fights, you’ve looked really sharp especially standup wise with back-to-back TKO stoppages. Is there something that clicked in your training or do you just think you’ve hit your prime?
Nate Marquardt: Well I think I’ve worked very hard on improving my skills in every area, but I think part of it is my mental attitude going into the fight to look for the finish and to knock the other guy out or submit him.
Do you feel like your standup has been the biggest improvement in your game?
Yeah, I would say that’s probably improved the most. I’ve been improving a lot since I’ve had Trevor Wittman as my boxing coach, and I now I also get to workout with K-1 fighters, and that’s definitely one of my bigge st areas of improvement.
By the time you get in the cage you’ll have had about seven months between fights, which is longer than usual for you. Was there a specific reason why you went that long between fights?
I didn’t take any time off from training. I’ve been training since my last fight. I think it was just the timing of the UFC, and their scheduling. But I’ve been training since my last fight.
Are you OK with that layoff?
It doesn’t really matter to me. Obviously I don’t want to go too long between fights, but I don’t think seven months is too long, especially for a big fight like this. I have a lot of time to train, to game plan and to improve areas I want to improve rather than just straight up gearing up to fight, and focusing strictly on what I’m going to do with my opponent. I still have time to improve myself in general, so say if my takedowns need help or whatever, I could work on that. But as the fight gets closer, I can work on game-plan specific things.
Are there any specific things you worked on for this camp?
There are things I do with every fight, but at the same time, I believe I’m a better fighter and it’s going to come down to who fights the best that night. I don’t feel like I’m restricted to just my game plan. I have a game plan, but if I feel I can attack him a certain way that’s outside of it, I’m not going to hold back.
Recently, Dana White said that Dan Henderson is likely to get the next crack at Silva. Are you upset or surprised at the fact there’s no title shot at stake in this match?
No, and to be honest, I’m not even sure that’s true. Dan getting a shot doesn’t exclude the winner of this fight getting a shot. Anything can happen in this sport. I don’t know if that fight’s official yet, but even if it is, something could happen to Dan, and I could be the next one to get a shot. Right now, I’m just focused on my fight. I hope I get a title shot from this fight, but if not, I think it’s in God’s hands, and I’m not going to stress about it.
How important of a goal is it for you to be the UFC champion?
It’s pretty huge to me. It’s what I always dreamt of. It’s pretty much why I started training in MMA, this is what I wanted to do. But at same time, I’m not obsessed with it or anything. I take each fight as it is, and a fight is just a fight. Whether it’s for a belt or not, it’s still important. I’m not going to make anything too important by saying it’s for title shot or because it’s for the belt. I just view it as a fight.
You fought Thales Leites just about a year ago. Is this fight similar in preparation to the Leites fight?
Somewhat. They’re both jiu-jitsu guys and they’re both world class jiu-jitsu guys, but I’d say it kind of stops there. Leites is built completely different. He’s a lot taller, he does different stuff on the ground. He tries different takedowns. Maia’s standup is completely different than Leites’. So is it similar? It is but it isn’t. When it comes down to specifics, it’s not the same fight at all.
Did you bring in any specific jiu-jitsu specialists to prepare for this bout?
I pretty much stick with the guys I have. I feel I have the best team in the world, guys who are excellent on the ground. I have black belts that I train with; really good, world-class fighters. I’m sure I can’t replicate Demian because he’s got his own tricks, but I have great training partners on the ground, and I’ll feel comfortable there with him.
Obviously you have your fair share of submission wins, but is it even worth the risk for you to go to the ground with him?
That’s something I can’t answer until I get in the fight, to be honest, because if the opportunity presents itself with him and we land there, and I feel comfortable and do some damage, I’m experienced enough that I’m not going to make some silly mistake and get caught in a triangle or something like that. The triangle that I have to worry about is the one he sets up. If I feel like he’s setting stuff up, I’m going to try to get back to my feet, but if I’m doing damage, I’m going to keep doing damage.
