· Nate Marquardt vs. Chael Sonnen Proposed For UFC 110

· Article author: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Posted on 11/10 at 09:23 PM

Middleweight contender Nate "The Great" Marquardt is likely to face Chael Sonnen at UFC 110, in an event proposed for February 21 in Sydney, Australia. Both fighters are awaiting bout agreements, according to a report from sportsnet.ca. The event, though still unofficial, will mark the promotion's first journey "down under."

Prior speculation had Marquardt (29-8-2) facing Dan Henderson in a bout to determine the next opponent for Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. After contract negotiations between Henderson and the UFC failed to produce an agreement, the match between Marquardt and Henderson was necessarily dissolved.

Marquardt last fought at "UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira" on August 29 in Portland, Ore. In that fight he destroyed a previously undefeated Demian Maia, knocking out the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace at just 21 seconds into the first round with a straight right. Marquardt won "Knockout of the Night" honors for his performance.

Chael Sonnen (24-10-1) secured a unanimous decision win against Yushin Okami at "UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun" on October 24 in Los Angeles, Calif. The victory was the second in a row for the Oregon native, having defeated Dan Miller at UFC 98 five months earlier. The defeat of Okami was significant in that Okami was the last fighter to deliver a loss to Anderson Silva, back at "Rumble on the Rock 8" in January 2006, and as such potentially sets up the contest with Marquardt as determining the next number one contender.

Both Marquardt and Henderson had reason to believe that they would be next in line for the middleweight title shot, given their most recent performances. Henderson similarly dominated his last opponent, Michael "The Count" Bisping, defeating the British fighter via a devastating first round knockout at "UFC 100: Lesnar vs. Mir 2" in July.

In a surprising move, the UFC chose Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort to face Silva, despite just one win into his third UFC residency--a fight contested at 195 pounds against Rich "Ace" Franklin at "UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort" in September.