With his highly publicized release from the UFC, prior to UFC Live 4 in June of this year, Nate Marquardt (31-10-2) is now a man with a target on his back; at least that's the way middleweight and welterweight champions Hector Lombard (29-2-1) and Ben Askren (8-0-0) see it. Marquardt failed to pass his pre-fight medicals on the Saturday before his main-event bout with Rick Story, with elevated levels of testosterone as a result of testosterone replacement therapy the fighter claims he is prescribed for a legitimate deficiency. A former UFC middleweight title challenger and perennial top-ten, Marquardt is a big fish for anyone to add to their mantle, particularly when you're competing outside a Zuffa owned promotion where such talent is harder to come by and the fighter's release was not performance related.
Speaking with the Savage Dog Show on the Sherdog Radio Network, the Bellator middleweight champ had this to say:
“He’s a big name up there,” Lombard said. “I’m ready for the challenge. I want to show everybody what I’m capable of doing. I just want to fight that guy bad... Ben Askren said it all, I think [Marquardt] is a cheater, but [against] me, he can take all the drugs he wants. I’m going to whoop his ass anyway.”
The comments Lombard is referring to came on June 28, when Askren posted the following message on his twitter account:
@nathanmarquardt you are a cheater, not once but frequently. Stop cheating, come to bellator and I will crush you. @bjornrebney
Desperately seeking the notoriety that comes with fighting top competition, Lombard recognizes the opportunity at hand and believes a return to 185lbs is the likely scenario for the former King of Pancrase.
“I don’t see him making [170]... He’s a natural 185,” Lombard said. “He’s been fighting at 185. At one point he was number two in the world at 185... There’s no excuses anymore. Don’t say you’ve got a contract with the UFC because he doesn’t have it. He can take the fight and prove everybody wrong.”
Bellator Fighting Championships stands to deepen its rosters on the back of a handful of recent dismissals by the UFC. Whether or not the signings are financially viable is another thing all together, but it's likely the fighters will entertain offers from the largest North American promotion outside of the Zuffa banner; according to Lombard, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney has already offered the fight, but the terms were not agreed upon so until an official announcement is made we will stand by in anticipation.
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