Strikeforce: Nate Marquardt vs. Tyron Woodley Head-to-Toe Breakdown

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One of the top up-and-comers in the welterweight division is set to welcome a former UFC middleweight title contender to the division...and it seems nobody knows about it.

This Saturday night, live from Portland, Ore. on Showtime, the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship, last worn by Nick Diaz, will be on the line as Strikeforce veteran Tyron Woodley will take on former UFC middleweight Nate Marquardt in his first fight at 170.

So, let's examine the Strikeforce Welterweight title fight with this head-to-toe breakdown.

Striking

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Woodley's striking isn't quite there, which will definitely become problematic if he can't drag Marquardt to the ground.

Marquardt's stand-up is great at times and lackluster at others, but in a fight against a pure wrestler, he should be able to open up, and if he can capitalize on his opportunities, Marquardt could leave Portland as the champion.

Advantage: Nate Marquardt

Wrestling

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Nate Marquardt is a fantastic wrestler, but in the past he has struggled against stronger wrestlers than himself. 

Seeing that this will be Marquardt's debut at 170, it'll be interesting to see what kind of weight cut he has and if he can bring his 185 strength with him or if the weight cut will hurt him more than it helped.

Either way, Woodley has used his wrestling to control every fighter he's faced so far in his career, including Tarec Saffiedine and Paul Daley, and although the weight cut could make a difference, I'll give a slight advantage to Woodley.

Advantage: Tyron Woodley

Grappling

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When it comes to ground control, it doesn't get much better than Tyron Woodley. If he gets you on your back, Woodley has the ability to hit you with punches, work for a submission or just ride, control and break you.

Marquardt, on the other hand, is a second-degree black belt in BJJ and 15 of his 31 victories have come by submission.

Although we've not seen a lot of BJJ from Marquardt late in his career, facing a wrestler who enjoys ground control could set up the perfect opportunity to display his submission skills, but I'm not too sure it'll go down like that.

Advantage: Tyron Woodley

Strength and Conditioning

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This will be Nate Marquardt's first fight since March of 2011 and it'll be his debut at 170. Whether either of these facts will make a difference in his strength and conditioning will have to wait to be seen.

A debut in a lower weight class against one of the strongest fighters in the division will be no easy task for Marquardt, though, so he'll have to be in great shape to compete with the strength and conditioning of Woodley.

Advantage: Tyron Woodley

Experience

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They don't get much more experienced than Nate Marquardt. 

He made his professional debut in 1999, and Saturday will mark his 44th career MMA bout. 

This will only be Tyron Woodley's 11th fight.

Advantage: Nate Marquardt

Prediction

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On paper, Nate Marquardt may seem like a sure thing to knock off the younger, less experienced Woodley, but there is a lot going against Marquardt in this fight.

For one, this will be Marquardt's first fight in 16 months and his first at 170. No matter who you are or where you train, that will play a factor in the fight.

It doesn't help that his opponent is a former Division I All-American wrestler who's 10-0.

Prediction: Tyron Woodley defeats Nate Marquardt by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)

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