As he prepares to take on fellow longtime veteran of the sport, Vitor Belfort, Nate Marquardtis excited to be able to take him on, especially in Belfort’s hometown. As Marquardt shared with Combate, fighting Vitor is an honor for him.
“I’m really excited to be here in Rio, fighting Vitor in Brazil,” Marquardt said. “So far, I was only able to go out for dinner, but I’m happy to be here. I sure was happy to be Vitor’s last UFC fight*. I am, definitely, a fan of Vitor Belfort. He’s a great fighter, I followed his career for many years. He’s an incredible guy. I have a lot of respect for him. I feel honored to be in this fight.”
* It’s since come out that Belfort vs. Marquardt is actually not the last UFC fight on Vitor’s contract.
As for the fight itself, Marquardt guarantees he will enter the Octagon looking for a win, and that he won’t underestimate Belfort.
“You never know what to expect from your opponent,” Marquardt said. “I don’t think he’ll be much different from what he showed these last few fights. Even though he lost these fights, Vitor had good showings, he was able to hurt his opponents. He looks for the finish, he bets on them. When you try and can’t finish a fight, it has a negative effect on the fighter. That’s what makes the sport fascinating. I think it’ll be a great fight and I’m ready for it. I have to go in focused on what I’ll do.”
UFC 212 takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 3. The card will be headlined by a featherweight title unification bout between champion Jose Aldo and interim champion, Max Holloway.
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