Nate Marquardt feels like a disrespected veteran of the sport just days away from competing for the Strikeforce welterweight title.
The man in charge of the disrespecting, Tyron Woodley, will be Marquardt’s opponent this Saturday night for the vacant title in the co-main event of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy.
The main card airs live on Showtime from Portland, Oregon. The main event boasts a Strikeforce middleweight title match between Luke Rockhold and Tim Kennedy.
“The Great” discussed why he wants to knock Woodley out during a recent interview for Inside MMA on AXS TV.
I wanna knock him out, for more than one reason. I think it’s exciting for the fans, it’s a great game plan going in, and honestly, the guy, he’s been very disrespectful to me. I wanna take it to him. He made fun of me, said I stutter and stuff like that, and you know, I’m gonna make him stutter (by knocking him out).
Marquardt has had a long year-plus drought from fighting. After being cut by the UFC, he signed with the British organization BAMMA, but never fought. He has signed been signed by Strikeforce – which runs under the Zuffa umbrella – to compete for the welterweight title.