UFC 212's Nate Marquardt doesn't buy the first-round stereotype of Vitor Belfort

RIO DE JANEIRO – If you’ve been watching MMA for any length of time, there a few truths: Anything can happen, and Vitor Belfort is most dangerous in the first round.

Eighteen of Belfort’s 25 wins have come in that opening frame. He’s that guy who, if you don’t keep your hands up, you could be going to sleep very quickly.

Belfort’s fortunes dwindle as he fights longer. Of the bouts that went past the first round, his record is 7-8, though the “Young Dinosaur” has been fighting so long, he’s fought plenty of rounds that weren’t contested over five minutes.

In any event, it’s probably safest to keep Belfort (25-13 MMA, 14-10 UFC) fighting longer. Nate Marquardt (35-17-2 MMA, 13-10 UFC) knows that, of course. He’s about to step into the cage with the legend on Saturday at UFC 212, a fight that was supposed to serve as Belfort’s retirement before he suddenly – and rather unsurprisingly – changed course and declared himself to feel “like a kid again.”

Marquardt doesn’t have Belfort’s reputation for fast finishes, but he’s no slouch in the knockout department. So he knows what he’s getting into in taking on the Brazilian – he just chooses not to put too much weight on stereotypes.

“One of his last fights, he fought Gegard Mousasi, and he went into the second round, and Vitor’s still dangerous – he’s still explosive,” Marquardt told MMAjunkie before Saturday’s pay-per-view main-card bout at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. “He didn’t look super tired or anything. Of course, every fighter who goes into the second round is a little bit tired. I don’t think it was conditioning; I see some technical mistakes.

“But Vitor’s style is he really goes for the finish, and when he goes for it, he puts everything into it. That’s what makes it exciting, and that what makes him dangerous.”

Like Belfort, Marquardt, a 54-fight veteran, is trying to close out a long career with some momentum. Marquardt is 3-7 in his past 10 outings, and at 38, he doesn’t have much time to work.

Against Belfort, he’ll be up against the clock. The longer he can make the ex-champ fight, the better his chances get. But he obviously wouldn’t mind getting an early win.

Whatever happens, Marquardt doesn’t expect judges to get involved. After all, this is a Vitor Belfort fight we’re talking about here.

“I wouldn’t expect it to go the distance,” he said. “Somebody is going to finish the fight.”

For more on UFC 212, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.