185 lbs: Nate Marquardt vs. Chael Sonnen
In the semi-main event, top contenders Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen will meet with the next shot at Anderson Silva’s Middleweight title on the line. Sonnen, once considered a boring, mid-level fighter, has fought his way to the top of the division with a string of impressive and dominant wins, while Marquardt has been on a ridiculous tear since his title shot loss to Silva, so this should be an extremely competitive affair.
Sonnen, who originally made a name for himself as one of WEC’s best Middleweights, ended his WEC career at the top of the heap after soundly defeating Paulo Filho. When WEC closed their heavier weight classes, Sonnen was thrown into the very competitive UFC Middleweight division, and his stint in the big show got off to a rough start as he was submitted by jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia. In his next two fights, Sonnen earned impressive decision wins over solid opponent Dan Miller and top-level contender Yushin Okami, who many felt deserved a shot at the title.
That win over Okami, coupled with Marquardt’s win over Maia, put Sonnen in line to compete for a title shot. There is no question that Sonnen got where he is with dominant, powerful wrestling. His standup is not excellent and he has shown questionable submission defense, but his wrestling is extremely dominant, which allows him to make up for those shortcomings.
Nate Marquardt, inarguably one of the greatest fighters in Pancrase history, has cemented himself as the clear #2 Middleweight in the UFC behind Anderson Silva. His only losses in the UFC came to Silva and Thales Leites, but he dominated the entire Leites fight and lost because of point deductions by the referee. What distinguishes Marquardt is how well-rounded he is. A lot of modern mixed martial artists have well-rounded skill sets, but Marquardt is top-level at every aspect of the game. He has excellent submissions, which have accounted for the majority of his wins, very good wrestling, and has become quite an accomplished knockout artist with deadly kicks and punches.
Sonnen is a great wrestler, but Marquardt is a great fighter. It is unlikely that Marquardt can completely prevent Sonnen from taking him down, but he is a very good wrestler, very good at sweeping and reversing position, and a threat to finish fights off his back with submissions, something Sonnen has proven susceptible to. Most importantly, though, Marquardt completely overmatches Sonnen on the feet, and if Sonnen has to telegraph his shots through Marquardt’s striking, he is going to get demolished.
Fight Prediction: Nate Marquardt by T/KO.
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