MMA Combat - Life After the UFC Begins, Marquardt Signs with BAMMA

MMA Combat - Life After the UFC Begins, Marquardt Signs with BAMMA

Former UFC middleweight title-challenger, Nate Marquardt (31-10-2) has officially found a new home, as British promotion BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) announced the signing of the Team Jackson representative today, inking the veteran to a multi-fight deal.

“As soon as we received word that the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission lifted Marquardt’s suspension, we jumped at the chance to sign him,” BAMMA Vice President Liam Fisher said. “He is a top-ranked contender and an asset to any promotion. Words cannot express how excited we are that Marquardt is now fighting under the BAMMA banner.”

Marquardt's highly publicized dismissal from the UFC has resulted in some of the most trying times to-date for the 32-year old out of Grudge Training Center in Colorado. But with today's announcement, "The Great" hopes to get things back on track as he looks forward to new opportunities.

“Now that my suspension has been lifted and I’ve found a home with a new fight promotion, I can move forward and turn my focus back to my fight career,” Marquardt said. “This has been an extremely difficult time, and I’m very thankful to those who stood by me.”

“Offers came in from several fight promotions, but we felt that BAMMA was definitely the best fit,” he said. “They put on high-quality shows, stack their cards with top-level fighters and sign those fighters to multi-fight deals. They are also the only fight organization in the UK that implements PED testing. To be honest, that is one of the main reasons that we chose BAMMA. I want to prove to my fans and to the world that I’m the real deal and that I belong on top.”

The former middleweight contender that recently announced his return to the welterweight ranks owns 15 victories by way of submission in a career with more notable wins than most have fights. While friends, family, and teammates supported Marquardt after his sudden released from the UFC (click here for background story), many went public with their disapproval; Marquardt looks to settle the score with those who called him out, at first opportunity inside the cage.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to fighting, and there are some guys out there that I would definitely like to get my hands on. I’m talking about the fighters that kicked me while I was down. BAMMA is known for signing top talent, so I may just get my chance.”

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MMA Combat - Penn vs. Condit at UFC 137?

MMA Combat - Penn vs. Condit at UFC 137?

Not long after UFC match-maker, Joe Silva, nixed a pending rematch between Jon Fitch (23-3-1) and B.J. Penn (16-7-2) due to a perceived lack of fan interest, multiple sources confirmed initial offers have been made by the promotion for a bout pitting the former welterweight and lightweight champion against surging Team Jackson stand-out Carlos Condit (27-5-0).

Although the contest has not yet been made official, both competitors have agreed to the match-up via their twitter accounts.

Carlos Condit: The people have spoken @bjpenndotcom, they want to see us scrap, let's give em what they asked for

B.J Penn: @CarlosCondit Yup. Let's do it! October 29th

October 29, as suggest by Penn, would have the fight featured as a part of the UFC 137 - St. Pierre vs. Diaz line-up, which is scheduled to take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The only fight officially confirmed for the card, besides the main-event itself, is a 145lbs scrap between Japanese star Hatsu Hioki and TUF alumnus George Roop.

Condit has won four consecutive fights since losing to Martin Kampmann in his promotion debut. The former WEC welterweight champion has finished 26 opponents inside the distance in 27 career wins, with 13 [T]KOs and 13 submissions to his name. Penn meanwhile, battled world #2 welterweight Jon Fitch to a unanimous draw in his most recent appearance at UFC 127 - Penn vs. Fitch, February 27, 2011. The highly decorated fighter is 1-0-1 since returning to the welterweight ranks, but has only managed three wins in his past seven fights. If "The Natural Born Killer," Carlos Condit was to walk away victorious, it is widely believed he would become the #1 contender to teammate Georges St. Pierre's title.


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Jon Fitch - Picky Picky Picky

Welterweight contender Jon Fitch

http://www.mmacombat.com/blogs/blog230-jon-fitch-picky-picky-picky.html

In a recent interview with mmaweekly.com, UFC welterweight veteran Jon Fitch (23-3-1) boldly stated that he was not interested in a match-up with rising star Rick Story. Story, who recently toppled Thiago Alves via unanimous decision at UFC 130, May 28, 2011, called out the division's #2 ranked fighter citing that Fitch made perfect sense after defeating a top 5 opponent in Alves (whom Fitch has also handily defeated in past competition). But those words fell on deaf ears at the AKA camp.

“I’m at a point in my career where I need to be fighting main events and main event fighters... If you don’t have a belt, currently, or you haven’t owned a belt in the UFC, I’m not really interested” said Fitch.

Although Fitch boasts one of the most impressive records in the UFC today, and since the formation of the organization for that matter, it is not the fighter's call to decide who he will and will not fight. With increasing pressure placed on promotions to make certain fights happen based on fan sentiment or 'twitter wars' between competitors, strengthening the bargaining power of the athlete will only leave mixed martial arts in a boxing-like conundrum; where the right fights simply do not take place based on individual and/or promoter disagreements. The champion has to take on all comers, contenders should not get to choose their path to the title either.

We now know that Rick Story has stepped in for the injured Anthony Johnson at UFC Live 4, and will take on former middleweight title challenger Nate Marquardt, June 26. What an opponent like Story would have brought to the table vs. Fitch are the same tools that get the Purdue alumnus through each of his fights, strong cardio and wrestling ability.

Waiting for the rematch against B.J. Penn isn't going to do anything to bolster Fitch's resume in this commentator's eyes. It's a fight he should control and win, and a second bout that looks any different from what the third round did in their first would be a disappointment.

Fitch has refused to fight fellow top-10 and teammate Josh Koscheck in the past, which is why I personally feel fighters shouldn't align themselves with training partners of similar size, in the same promotion, unless of course they're willing to put all that aside for sport. The last time Fitch fought a high-level wrestler was in his 2008 defeat to champion Georges St. Pierre. Prior to that, Diego Sanchez and Brock Larson are the only two names under the UFC Fitch has battle with any sort of wrestling credential.

At this point, Jake Shields is the man in the division that makes the most sense for each competitor. He owns a submission grappling victory over the AKA captain, has a solid wrestling base and is more than comfortable on his back regardless. Neither man is particularly threatening on the feet, and both cut considerably to get down to 170lbs. Give Penn a smaller welterweight in his next, and challenge the Indiana native with a skill-set more similar to his own; it's been a while.


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