Vitor Belfort (25-13) is going into his final fight at UFC 212 against Nate Marquardt (35-17-2). Belfort has had a fair share of ups and downs while Marquardt has more experience under his belt but has a similar pattern of victories and defeats. Both are pretty aggressive and have a tendency to give a knockout and take it as well. This could be one of the best MMA fights of the season although the betting odds right now are Nate Marquardt (+145) and Vitor Belfort (-185).
Belfort’s key wins have been against Luke Rockhold, Michael Bisping and Anthony Johnson (UFC 142). His notable losses have been to Jon Jones (UFC 152), Ronaldo Souza (UFC 198) and Gegard Mousasi (UFC 204). Despite closing 40, Belfort is still a fast fighter for his age and does retain some serious power in his kicks and punches. This is backed up with some solid defensive grappling, which is why this could be a close contest. The first cracker of a punch by elfort or Marquardt could spell victory for either.
What every punter should look out for is that Marquardt isn’t too comfortable facing Southpaws. Belfort also has an advantage when it comes to kicks so he has the ability to work from long range.
Nate Marquardt’s key wins have been against Demian Maia (UFC 103), James Te Huna (UFC Fight Night 43), and CB Dollaway (UFC on FOX 17). His key losses have been to Hector Lombard (UFC 166) ), Brad Tavares (UFC 182), and ), Thiago Santos (UFC 198). Yes, Marquardt does have the experience and is a skilled jiu-jitsu player. But patience is not one of his virtues. He won’t want to end up with battering of kicks from Belfort. That is something he is sure to remember from the past. Combinations and takedown attempts ought to be his game plan. This is because Belfort’s takedown defense is still sharp.
This could be a very close contest although this could go down as a KO in favor of Belfort.
Author : Rory McGregor
