LAS VEGAS, Aug. 5 America, meet Nathan. Nathan, America.
Even though hes fought in Japan for years, his ultimate goal is to become a UFC champion, said Marquardts long-time manager Will Hendricks. Hes done everything in his power to reach that goal, and hes close now so hopefully were going to be there.
In a sense, Denver, Colorados Marquardt has done it in reverse, earning his stripes overseas rather than taking the homegrown route most often navigated by young American fighters.
Eight opponents and eight wins into the first year of his career, Marquardt, then a smallish welterweight, found himself in Tokyo fighting Genki Sudo (pictures). Though he lost by submission to Japans most flamboyant fighter that December night in 1999, the bout marked the first of Marquardts 20 Pancrase appearances, during which he thrice held a King of Pancrase belt.
The fight with Sudo also resulted in one of several lessons that, Marquardt said, eventually lead him here, versus middleweight Ivan Salaverry (pictures), in a fight that airs live on the debut of SpikeTVs Ultimate Fight Night.
It has been a long road but at the same time I feel that my career has just begun, said Marquardt, whos developed into one of the sports most complete pros hes as dangerous on his feet as he is on his back.
Up to this point I really feel like its been a learning experience for me, he continued. I think Gods probably wanted me to learn a lot of lessons before I got to this point. And Ive learned a lot. Im starting to come into my prime and this is my chance.
Thats the greatest opportunity of his career, said Hendricks. Pancrase was great but it was a very limited audience. The fact that Nathan is going to be able to get out there and show what hes got in front of millions of fans, you cant get any better than that.
Hendricks is right. There is no getting better than this. Not in America, where even the main event of a UFC Pay-Per-View pales by comparison. When Jeremy Horn (pictures) challenges Chuck Liddell (pictures) later this month for the UFC light heavyweight belt, UFC president Dana White would be happy to do 200,000 PPV buys. If 2 million people tune-in Saturday, White will likely be disappointed.
A lot has changed in stateside MMA during the six years Marquardt has fought as a professional. And considering the vast majority of his fights have come in Japan, where this sport is comfort food for fight fans souls, hes been given a unique opportunity.
Names like Forrest Griffin (pictures), Stephan Bonnar (pictures) and Diego Sanchez (pictures) are perhaps more recognizable than any UFC fighter outside of Royce Gracie (pictures) and Ken Shamrock (pictures). The power of free television, something White has long said would change everything, is inarguable.
And fighters like Marquardt and Salaverry well rounded, exciting, complete are exactly the kind the UFC is willing to put in this high-profile slot.
You arent going to see the ground-and-pound, said Hendricks of Marquardts fighting style. Youre going to see him going for submissions, knockouts anything he can get.
His debut could have come four years ago, on September 2001s cursed UFC 33 card.
Considered at the time to be Zuffas most important accomplishment the return of UFC to pay cable television it resulted in disaster, says White, because the five televised fights boringly went the distance and the main event spilled over the three-hour time slot.
Three months before Whites worst nightmare, he sat in the ballroom of Friant, Californias Table Mountain Casino watching Marquardt, holding the KOP belt he won after 30 minutes in the ring with Shonie Carter (pictures), fight Gil Castillo (pictures), an undefeated, powerful welterweight in his mid-30s who just captured the King of the Cage 170-pound belt.
While the contest was promoted by the IFC, for all intents and purposes it was a UFC eliminator, with the winner earning an invite to compete against 185-pound UFC champion Dave Menne (pictures).
Marquardt did well the first two rounds, slipping away from Castillo, getting up off his back, striking when openings presented themselves and looking for submissions.
But then disaster struck and his game left him. During the final three rounds Castillo went on to control his younger challenger, winning by unanimous decision.
It was very disappointing, said Hendricks of that hot, Central California summer night. And what most people dont know is he didnt put on his best performance because halfway through the fight he had a back injury. And its not an excuse its the truth.
Marquardt was devastated. Not only had he failed to represent Pancrase, an organization to which he and Hendricks are very loyal, he failed himself.
When youre a young kid staring your dream in its face and you come up short, not because someone bested you but because your body failed, theres no thinking about getting em next time.
Though draped by a wet towel, the anguish on his face was obvious. No consolation from Hendricks, Pancrase representatives, who flew in from Tokyo, or his family could make the hurt and disgust go away.
It really took him nine months to recover from that injury to where he was 100 percent again, Hendricks recalled. No telling how long it took the rest of him to recover.
But now, today, the day before the biggest fight of his life, there is a new perspective.
Theres a lot of things I had to learn still, said Marquardt. I learned a lot in that fight. I feel like, you know, just being the better the fighter isnt enough. Theres a lot of different things that I didnt know about in mixed martial arts that Ive learned since then.
Sure, hed lose and regain his Pancrase crown twice since the Castillo fight, but few things have had as big an impact on him professionally as his failure in Friant.
When I was young I just would go 100 percent and balls to the wall until I finished the guy, he said. And that was always the number-one goal. I didnt pay attention to rounds. Controlling the top position. I learned a lot, even from that fight alone.