Nate Marquardt to Fight for Amazon Forest Combat in September?

Nate Marquardt has been one of the most embattled fighters in the sport since having to withdraw from his scheduled main event fight with Rick Story just under a month ago. 

The reason Marquardt was unable to compete was due to elevated levels of testosterone, as the fighter was later open about using testosterone replacement therapy for months prior to the UFC on Versus 4 event.

After being fired from the UFC, it seemed that the situation could not possibly get any worse for “Nate the Great.”

The bad news was far from over for the former perennial middleweight contender, as Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said last week that Marquardt “just currently isn’t a good fit” for the company.

Despite the enormous hit Marquardt’s career took over this incident, early indications are that he will be fighting again in September. 

However, it will be anything but a marquee fight.

Tatame.com is reporting that Amazon Forest Combat, a Brazilian-based fight promotion, will be hosting their fight card on September 14 in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. 

Currently, the only fight signed is Paulo Filho, a former WEC Middleweight Champion, taking on newcomer Satoshi Ishii in just his sixth professional fight. 

Additionally, grappling specialist Royler Gracie is signed for the event.  The promotion is currently looking for Gracie’s opponent. 

Jorge Guimarães, a Black House MMA manager, is serving as a matchmaker for this card.

Guimarães confirmed that they are currently in negotiations as with Marquardt, as well as fellow UFC veterans Patrick Cote and Marcus Davis. 

In an ideal world, Guimarães indicated that he would hear back from Marquardt and Davis today, and be able to pair Davis with another former UFC competitor in Ronys Torres. 

No word yet on whether or not Marquardt would be fighting at welterweight or middleweight, or if he was even a sure thing to be fighting in the main event.