Dana White says Nate Marqaurdt's UFC days are done following UFC on Versus 4 scratch
PITTSBURGH – Onetime UFC middleweight title challenger Nate Marqaurdt (31-10-2 MMA, 10-4 UFC) had hoped to drop to the welterweight division.
Instead, he's the one who's been dropped.
Less than one hour after the UFC officially announced that Marquardt has been scratched from Sunday's UFC on Versus 4 event, UFC president Dana White informed the world Marquardt also has been released from the organization.
"I'm sure you heard that Nate Marquardt is out," White said in a short video clip posted on his Twitter account. "It's true. He failed his medicals. Not only is he out of this fight, out of the main event on Versus, he will no longer be with the UFC."
Neither White nor Marquardt's management team were immediately available when contacted for comment.
The announcement comes on the heels of a hectic afternoon in which sources told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) Marquardt "did not receive medical clearance" and was pulled from a planned main-event bout with Rick Story. Charlie Brenneman was quickly tapped as a last-minute replacement, and a heavyweight bout between Cheick Kongo and Pat Barry was promoted to the evening's featured slot.
Specifics on the reasoning for the scratch have not yet been announced.
Marquardt has yet to speak publicly on the matter, but his management team talked to MMAjunkie.com prior to his apparent release from the promotion.
"Nate is really disappointed," a representative said. "He really was looking forward to making his welterweight debut, and he plans to be back in there as soon as possible."
Unfortunately for Marquardt, "there" currently doesn't appear to be the octagon.
Source: UPDATE: Props to BloodyElbow
From Dana White's mouth
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FjtP_X5izQ[/youtube]
Shit just got real...
