Despite his reputation as a fighter owning a complete game, it’s interesting to note that Marquardt has never been under the guidance of an MMA trainer.
Enter Greg Jackson, a man quickly being recognized as one of the State’s top MMA trainers. With Diego Sanchez (pictures), Joey Villasenor (pictures) and a handful of other legitimate contenders, Jackson’s New Mexico gym has become as synonymous with quality MMA output as the Pacific Northwest’s Team Quest or Iowa’s Miletich Martial Arts.
“I think a lot of it is just his personality,” the middleweight said of Jackson. “He’s the nicest guy and he really attracts the kind of fighters that really want it, that aren’t about the money. They’re about fighting and they love the sport. And he attracts those kind of really good people. And we all work as a team together. He’s got the best motivational skills. He can really motivate us and talk to us.”
“Ever since I started training with them I feel like I’m twice as good,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been lacking all along, is training partners my size and at my level. So now that I have that it’s taken me to a whole ‘nother level.”
“It’s been really good,” said Marquardt’s wife, Tessa. “I think he’s just great for the team. He offers something they’ve never really seen before. I think they really love having him down there and he loves going. It’s so close that he can drive and still have a life in Colorado. And I can go with him and it’s been really good.”
Such a fan of Jackson is Marquardt that he’s planning on splitting time between Albuquerque and Denver. Tessa, whom he married almost a year ago on August 28, will join him often. And when it’s his turn to have custody of his daughter, they’ll head back to Denver.
Soon fight fans in both towns will know Marquardt’s face, a reality he is familiar with from his days fighting and living in Japan.
Standing in Marquardt’s way of a UFC middleweight title shot is Salaverry, who in many respects is a similar fighter, though Marquardt is a bit crisper with his hands and knees and the Seattle-based Salaverry has some size on the UFC rookie.
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog,” said Marquardt, well on his way to using clichés like an American professional athlete. “And I think that’s where, actually, I have an edge. I have a lot of heart. I have the most heart you’re going to see. And I actually have a little more experience in all areas: striking, wrestling, grappling. So I feel I’m going to have the edge.
“We’ve looked at Ivan’s style — everything: ground game, his strategies, his stand-up — and formulated strategy and techniques I’m going to use. So that’s what I’ve been working on for the last eight weeks.”
For those who have not seen Marquardt in the ring — and even good percentage of hardcore fans have not — he fights like a mixed martial artist should: seamlessly.
Whether he can transition smoothly to other things required of a UFC star (basically everything expected of athletes in the U.S.) is another matter.
In more ways than one, Marquardt has let his fighting speak for him. His manager, Hendricks, has a reputation for keeping a tight lid.
In Japan, that may fly. Here in the U.S., however, it will only serve to get your fighter passed over for willing subjects. And win or lose, the effects of Saturday’s introduction to American fans will demand that Hendricks eases off the reigns.
Marquardt says he hopes that fans turning in will “see an exciting fight. That’s the main thing. I want them to get their money’s worth and hopefully make a lot of fans.
“I want them to know I’m a humble guy but I want them to also know I’m the best.”
And he doesn’t plan on saying “bye” anytime soon, either.