MMA fans are still wondering what happened to UFC welterweight contender Nate Marquardt. He was taken out in the main event of the UFC on Versus 4 which was held June 26. The heavyweight bout between Cheick Kongo and Pat Barry was instead promoted as the main event. His opponent, Rick Story was matched up with Charlie Brenneman as the last minute replacement for “The Great.”

Little information was released to the media by the UFC on what really caused the replacement of Marquardt. In a short statement, UFC president Dana White posted in twitter the reason why Marquardt was replaced at the last minute of the event. “I’m sure you heard that Nate Marquardt is out. It’s true. He failed his medicals. Not only is he out of this fight, out of the main event on Versus, he will no longer be with the UFC,” said White.

UFC Ended Ties with Marquardt

Yes you’ve heard it right. Nate Marquardt was also released from the UFC. Marquardt failed to comply with the medical requirements of the fight but many are speculating that the main reason could be due to drug test or illness. White will not make a last minute decision if Marquardt did not violate any major policy of the promotion company. The former middleweight contender is one of the best fighters in UFC.

The camp of Marquardt and the UFC did not issue any further statement despite calls from several MMA news agencies. Other online sources said that Marquardt was very disappointed on what happened but still optimistic that he will be able to come back as soon as possible.

Speculations on Marquardt’s Separation from the UFC

As long as the athletic commission and the UFC will not clarify the real issue why Marquardt was fired, speculations will come out. On top of it is the issue of steroid use. Nate Marquardt was suspended a few years ago for using the steroid nandrolone. There is also a possibility that the fighter took a dietary supplement with a banned substance. However, other MMA writers believe that it is something else that caused the termination and not steroids.

Anabolic Steroids Might Not be the Culprit

Since Marquardt is trying to lose weight, anabolic steroid is not his best option. Though he can gain more strength in using steroids, it can also add more weight on his body.

A good guess is Marquardt used supplements which contain diuretics. This substance is banned in most sports organization. Diuretics help reduce weight by removing excess water in the body. “The Great” is fighting at a lighter weight division so this is also a possibility. There are also rumors that Marquardt is still overweight before the fight. And lastly, it could be due to an illness that health officials deemed dangerous for Marquardt to proceed with the fight.

Marquardt has an impressive record as a mixed martial arts fighter. His professional record is 31-10-2 while his UFC record is 10-4. With his great fighting style, the UFC president gave him a chance to fight in the welterweight division.

Meanwhile, White said in the post-game presscon that Versus 4 was one of the best shows of UFC.

Here’s the complete result of UFC on Versus 4:

Main Bouts
Cheick Kongo def. Pat Barry by KO at 2:39, R1
Charlie Brenneman def. Rick Story by unanimous decision (29-28 on all cards)
Matt Brown def. John Howard by unanimous decision (29-28 on all cards)
Matt Mitrione def. Christian Morecraft by KO at 4:28, R2

Preliminary Bouts
Tyson Griffin def. Manny Gamburyan by unanimous decision
Javier Vazquez def. Joe Stevenson by unanimous decision
Joe Lauzon def. Curt Warburton by submission (kimura)
Rich Attonito def. Daniel Roberts by unanimous decision
Charles Oliveira def. Nik Lentz by submission (rear naked choke)
Ricardo Lamas def. Matt Grice by TKO (referee’s stoppage due to strikes)
Michael Johnson def. Edward Faaloloto by TKO (referee’s stoppage due to strikes)

For complete details go to mmaweekly site.

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