Nate Marquardt to Strikeforce, verbal agreements in place for fight with Tyron Woodley
by Steven Marrocco on Feb 22, 2012 at 2:55 am ET
Onetime UFC middleweight challenger Nate Marquardt is back in the fold, under the Zuffa banner.
Eight months after he was released from his UFC contract, Marquardt has signed with the Zuffa-owned Strikeforce, as announced on the Tuesday edition of "UFC Tonight" on FUEL TV.
Additional MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) sources indicated that Marquardt (31-10-2 MMA, 0-0 SF) will likely make his Strikeforce debut as a welterweight against contender Tyron Woodley (10-0 MMA, 8-0 SF). Verbal agreements are in place for the matchup, though a date has yet to be set.
Marquardt was released this past month from a contract with British MMA promotion BAMMA that he signed this past July. Although scheduled to make his promotional debut earlier this month at BAMMA 9 against UFC vet Yoshiyuki Yoshida, the fight never came to fruition.
The Strikeforce signing ends a period of limbo for the standout fighter, who was very publicly released from the UFC this past June after failing to gain medical clearance to fight Rick Story in the headliner of UFC on Versus 4.
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, which oversaw the event this past June, disallowed Marquardt to fight Rick Story when pre-fight blood tests revealed his testosterone levels to be outside the commission's allowable limits. The commission subsequently suspended the onetime UFC middleweight title challenger, and the UFC fired him shortly thereafter.
Marquardt subsequently revealed that in August 2010, he noticed a change in his health and received clearance from his primary doctor to undergo hormone-replacement therapy. He added that the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, which oversaw a bout this past March against Dan Miller at UFC 128, approved his therapy.
Nevertheless, through a series of missteps by Marquardt and his physicians, the fighter's testosterone level was not within allowable limits on the eve of his planned bout with Story.
"I was ready to fight on June 26," Marquardt then told MMAjunkie.com. "My levels were in range that day, and I was ready to fight. I'm ready to fight now. Right now, we're taking offers, and we're really looking at what makes sense and what's going to be an exciting fight for the fans."
Woodley re-asserted his claim as rightful contender to the now-vacant Strikeforce crown with his eighth consecutive victory in the promotion, which came this past month at "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" when he outpointed Jordan Mein by split decision.
After the fight, Woodley downplayed a rematch with Tarec Saffiedine, whom he outpointed 13 months ago at a Strikeforce Challengers event bearing their names.
"Everyone knows I'm basically the uncrowned champion in this division regardless of what happened, who shifted around," Woodley then said, referring to an exodus of Strikeforce talent that included welterweight champ Nick Diaz.
Although Marquardt vs. Woodley would appear worthy of title distinction, the bout's status is yet unknown.
by Steven Marrocco on Feb 22, 2012 at 2:55 am ET
Onetime UFC middleweight challenger Nate Marquardt is back in the fold, under the Zuffa banner.
Eight months after he was released from his UFC contract, Marquardt has signed with the Zuffa-owned Strikeforce, as announced on the Tuesday edition of "UFC Tonight" on FUEL TV.
Additional MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) sources indicated that Marquardt (31-10-2 MMA, 0-0 SF) will likely make his Strikeforce debut as a welterweight against contender Tyron Woodley (10-0 MMA, 8-0 SF). Verbal agreements are in place for the matchup, though a date has yet to be set.
Marquardt was released this past month from a contract with British MMA promotion BAMMA that he signed this past July. Although scheduled to make his promotional debut earlier this month at BAMMA 9 against UFC vet Yoshiyuki Yoshida, the fight never came to fruition.
The Strikeforce signing ends a period of limbo for the standout fighter, who was very publicly released from the UFC this past June after failing to gain medical clearance to fight Rick Story in the headliner of UFC on Versus 4.
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, which oversaw the event this past June, disallowed Marquardt to fight Rick Story when pre-fight blood tests revealed his testosterone levels to be outside the commission's allowable limits. The commission subsequently suspended the onetime UFC middleweight title challenger, and the UFC fired him shortly thereafter.
Marquardt subsequently revealed that in August 2010, he noticed a change in his health and received clearance from his primary doctor to undergo hormone-replacement therapy. He added that the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, which oversaw a bout this past March against Dan Miller at UFC 128, approved his therapy.
Nevertheless, through a series of missteps by Marquardt and his physicians, the fighter's testosterone level was not within allowable limits on the eve of his planned bout with Story.
"I was ready to fight on June 26," Marquardt then told MMAjunkie.com. "My levels were in range that day, and I was ready to fight. I'm ready to fight now. Right now, we're taking offers, and we're really looking at what makes sense and what's going to be an exciting fight for the fans."
Woodley re-asserted his claim as rightful contender to the now-vacant Strikeforce crown with his eighth consecutive victory in the promotion, which came this past month at "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" when he outpointed Jordan Mein by split decision.
After the fight, Woodley downplayed a rematch with Tarec Saffiedine, whom he outpointed 13 months ago at a Strikeforce Challengers event bearing their names.
"Everyone knows I'm basically the uncrowned champion in this division regardless of what happened, who shifted around," Woodley then said, referring to an exodus of Strikeforce talent that included welterweight champ Nick Diaz.
Although Marquardt vs. Woodley would appear worthy of title distinction, the bout's status is yet unknown.