In the interview of the Las Vegas Sun, UFC’s Nate Marquardt said that he doesn’t care if his opponents are on steroids. The middleweight fighter is scheduled to fight Yushin Okami at UFC 122 next week. The match-up will be the main event on November 13 at Oberhausen, Germany. However, Marquardt, who is considered as one of the best contender in the middleweight division, avoided making negative comments on Chael Sonnen who was suspended by the CSAC for failing a steroid test after his fight with Anderson Silva in UFC 117.

Everybody likes to know what will be his reaction to the positive result of Sonnen since the latter beat him in the number 1 contender fight. Could it be due to steroids why Sonnen won the fight? While everybody is expecting to hear a more drastic response, Marquardt told the Las Vegas Sun in a more subtle way. “My thinking is, it doesn’t matter if the guy I’m fighting is on steroids. I don’t care about that. I should be able to beat him either way. I feel like I can fight someone on steroids and still have them at a disadvantage,” he said.

Steroids not Needed

He believes that a true athlete should not be dependent on supplements or performance enhancing drugs. “If you’re a true athlete, the best way is to be natural. Anything you get from steroids you’re trading off somewhere else, whether it’s your cardio or longevity in the sport. You need all those things,” said Marquardt.

Marquardt refused to make comments because he doesn’t know the facts on Sonnen’s steroid use. However, he still has high regard for the middleweight contender for his skills. “Honestly, I really don’t know what to think. I don’t know the facts. Either way, he’s a tough guy and he’s going to be back before long,” he said.

Title Fight Against Silva

Chael Sonnen is expected to appeal his suspension on December 2 hoping that the sanction will be reduced or lifted. Right now, the rematch with Anderson Silva was pulled out because of Sonnen’s suspension. This is a good news for Marquardt. If he wins on November 13, he will likely have the chance to fight the best middleweight fighter, Anderson Silva. “When you’re at the top of the division, you’re always one or two fights away from the title shot. I figured I would have one more fight against a top guy and then a No. 1 contenders fight,” he told the Sun.

In another interview, Nate Marquardt told cagepotato that it is best not to comment because he doesn’t know the facts on Sonnen’s positive test for steroids. “I didn’t see the results of the test, so I can’t even comment, to be honest. Who knows? Obviously it was a banned substance that was in his system or it was over the limit or however it was, but either way he’ll be punished for having that in his system,” he said. “At the same time it doesn’t mean he was trying to cheat. It could have been several things. It could have been an over-the-counter medicine or a supplement he was taking that made him test positive,” Marquardt added.

Suspended for Steroid Nandrolone

Nate “the Great” Marquardt is not new to the issue of steroid use. He himself was given sanction for a positive test for steroid nandrolone. He tested positive for Deca (nandrolone) in the Ultimate Fight Night 1 against Ivan Salaverry back in 2005. He received a six month suspension but appealed the case. He said that the positive test could be the result of an over-the-counter supplement he was taking that time. The suspension was then reduced to 5 months.

His opponent next week, Yushin Okami also told MMA Junkie that he believe Sonnen is innocent. “I trained with Chael and I think he’s innocent [because] of his personality,” said Okami. Asked about his prediction on the UFC 122, Okami is optimistic that he will dominate the fight. “I’ve gotten many techniques from Team Quest, so now I believe I have more power than Nate,” said Okami.

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