Nate Marquardt has had his days in the sun. Saturday night was not one of those days.
Nate Marquardt was once a great fighter. He won a title in Strikeforce and was a contender for a sustained time period in the UFC. He has 33 professional wins as a fighter.
But now, at age 36, it's clear he's coasting on fumes. After losing to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 188 in Mexico City, Marquardt is now on the bad side of five of his last six contests. This one ended by TKO when his corner threw in the metaphorical towel between the second and third rounds.
But it gets worse. Why don't we delve into it, if you've got the stomach.
What We'll Remember About This Fight
There was a moment about halfway through the second round when Gastelum landed a clinch knee to Marquardt's solar plexus; substantial, sure, but nothing overly vicious. Marquardt fell to the ground. But he didn't fall fast. He fell in slow motion. He was, perhaps quite literally, lying down.
Beyond covering his face with his arms, Marquardt offered no additional resistance for the rest of the round. He may have thrown a punch, but if he did, it didn't get close to landing.
There were other moments of domination (and, let's be frank, humiliation) in this contest. But that slow-motion crumple summed it up better than anything else could.
What We Learned About Kelvin Gastelum
He's back on track—and he wants to return to welterweight. Gastelum, who was essentially forced by UFC brass to move up to middleweight after he had repeated issues making the 170-pound welterweight limit, asked for it after the fight.
"I know I made a mistake," Gastelum told broadcaster Joe Rogan in the cage after the fight. "I want to man up...[And] do it the right way."
We'll see if he has that chance. But for now, at age 23 and with a win to bounce back from the sole blemish on his record, the 11-1 Gastelum is looking pretty good right where he is.
What We Learned About Nate Marquardt
He needs to retire. He really does. All respect to everything he has accomplished in his 16-year fight career, but it was downright pathetic to watch him fall over and go fetal on more than one occasion. Those can't be the actions of someone who is in true fighting shape, physically or mentally. MMA analyst Patrick Wyman had this to say:
Marquardt has absolutely nothing left. Time to shut it down. #UFC188
— Patrick Wyman (@Patrick_Wyman) June 14, 2015
What's Next for Gastelum
I'd go ahead and give him that return to welterweight. See if he can make the cut successfully now. How about the winner between Matt Brown and Tim Means, who fight later in June?
What's Next for Marquardt
I'll say it again. It's time for him to hang it up. Not because he owes fans a certain narrative, but because he's a grown man with a family. Time to look at an occupation that doesn't involve head trauma.
