Ground and Pound Show: Nate Quarry and Dan Miragliotta

Written By Cameron Gidari

Everyone has a different opinion about what makes a great fight. Nate Quarry looks to put on a show.

Quarry and referee Dan Miragliotta joined the Ground & Pound Show to discuss UFC 97.

“In my opinion it’s much better to get knocked out in a very exciting fashion then to win a boring fight,” Quarry said. “To me there’s more to sports than just getting that ‘W’, its how you get that ‘W’.”

When talking about the night’s main event, Quarry thinks that Thales Leites might have been intimidated by Anderson Silva’s aura.

“You’ve gotta go in there believing that you’re gonna win every second of every round, because if you give up that ideal then you shouldn’t even be there in the first place,” Quarry said.

Miragliotta couldn’t believe that Silva didn’t finish Leites in the fifth round, especially after a dominant display on the ground in the previous round.

“After that little session in the fourth round I would have thought for sure he would have figured that, you know what, I can kill this guy standing up, I can definitely beat him on the ground, let me give the fans in the last round what they want to see and let me just destroy him,” Miragliotta said. “I thought it was sad, because he’s capable of doing it.”

Quarry agrees that using a sound strategy to win a fight and winning the fans are two different things.

“You’re not gonna win the fans over by playing it safe,” said Quarry, referring to Anderson Silva’s safe, albeit somewhat passive fight strategy. “I think you really have to go out there and let it all hang out.”

Quarry did his part to spice up the show, TKO-ing hometown favorite Jason MacDonald in the first round.

“After watching Jason’s fights I knew that he really likes to clinch and go for that single,” Quarry said. “I really didn’t want to let him get started and control the fight in any way, shape or form.”

“I just prepared for takedown defense, and then when I got in there I’m a big believer in the best defense being the best offense,” Quarry said.

That defense did turn into offense, as Quarry was able to land numerous elbows to force the stoppage.

Quarry’s stoppage wasn’t the only TKO of the night, as Chuck Liddell was dropped in the first round to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in what seems to be a career-ending loss.

Miragliotta recognizes that if this was the last time we saw Liddell fight, it will be the passing of a legend.

“[Chuck] brought this sport pretty much to where it is,” Miragliotta said.

Miragliotta thinks that Liddell could still fight, but that continuing at this point could be detrimental to his health.

“He’s taken too many concussions, too many knockouts in a short period of time, and I don’t want to see him go and get hurt,” Miragliotta said. “I’d like to see him be remembered for the fighter that he was.”

The Ground & Pound Show broadcasts live every Tuesday at 9:30 pm EST (6:30 pm PST). The show is hosted by MMAMadness.com’s Hector Castro and Fight! Magazine’s Johnny Dunn. For more information, or to download previous episodes, go here.