Nate Marquardt makes a right move
Nate Marquardt is going to BAMMA, which brings up intriguing matchups like Marquardt vs Frank Trigg, Marquardt vs Tom Watson (“Kong”), Marquardt vs Murilo Rua (“Ninja”), Marquardt vs Paul Daley, Marquardt vs War Machine, etc. With his planned drop to welterweight, Marquardt provides instant title implications for 2 weight classes.
This does deprive us of possible bad blood matches in Bellator like Marquardt vs Ben Askren or Marquardt vs Hector Lombard, but it’s probably the best move for Marquardt. Getting relicensed in the US is going to be tricky, and he is viewed with increasing cynicism by many. Unlike Chael Sonnen, Marquardt is not someone who can sell fights with his mouth. The lack of humour means that he will not have a base of people that views him as a hero. By going to BAMMA, he could conceivably become a dual weight class champion, and this would increase his stock. Winning can redeem athletes, while inactivity cannot.
It’s also a good move for BAMMA. Promotions like BAMMA need fighters that can draw in a reasonable number of eyeballs. Marquardt might not be a superstar, but he’s a former UFC title contender, and can main event any card. BAMMA might be gaining popularity, but it is still a very small promotion. Their events headlined by Kong have drawn 800k+ viewers on cable and NBC is happy with the draw on its SyFy and Bravo divisions, but it’s a long way from being an established league. Signing a world class talent is one method of establishing credibility and increasing viewership.
On another note, it speaks to the sad state of affairs in Japanese MMA that Marquardt (former King of Pancrase) was never mentioned as going to Japan. Marquardt spent a significant portion of his career in Japan, did very well, and if this had happened 5 years ago or 10 years ago, the logical step would have been to go to Pride. There’s no equivalent to that option anymore. Plus, the added bonus is that Pride and its ilk never tested for drugs.
If Marquardt wins a number of fights, it shouldn’t be too long before he starts getting some interest to start fighting again on this side of the Atlantic. Dana White said that Marquardt wouldn’t fight in the UFC ever again, but Dana is prone to making extreme statements like this. Dana also said it was possible for Marquardt to go to Strikeforce, so Nate the Great could be back before we know it.
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