UFC welterweight Dan Hardy (23-7) recently sounded off on a growing trend of wrestlers that resort to lay-and-pray tactics rather than engaging in a fight. When asked about Hardy’s comments, middleweight contender Nate Marquardt (32-9-2) said it sounded like the reaction of “someone who isn’t a good wrestler.”

“Wrestling is a big part of MMA,” Marquardt said on Thursday’s UFC conference call. “You shouldn’t complain about it, you should learn to defend it.”

Marquardt acknowledged that his inability to defend Chael Sonnen’s takedowns in their UFC 109 bout cost him the fight, and said the experience left him determined to keep improving on his own wrestling ability.

Part of it could have to do with the changes and trends in MMA, he said. “One minute it’s the strikers that are dominating the sport, another minute it’s the wrestlers.”

2 thoughts on “Nate Marquardt responds to Dan Hardy’s comments on wrestling in UFC”
  1. Does this guy ever shut up? Nate M is always talking about other fighters.

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