Nate Marquardt’s comeback from retirement just hit its first hiccup.
The former Strikeforce welterweight champion suffered his first defeat since returning to competition a few months back. Marquardt (36–20–2) was stopped by veteran Valdir Araujo at the 2:45 mark of Round 2 on Saturday at XMMA 3 in Miami.
Valdir Araujo, bleeding all over the place, floors Marquardt with a combination then drops hammers for the TKO. Wild fight #XMMA3 pic.twitter.com/eJ9jU6eNHn
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) October 24, 2021
Marquardt, 42, retired in late 2017 after the second stint of his UFC career came to an end. In 2019, he told MMA Junkie he planned on making a comeback. The return to competition came in August when he picked up a first-round submission win over Michael Cora at Titan FC 71. The loss to Araujo was his second bout since coming back from retirement.
Marquardt has been competing in MMA since 1999. He holds notable wins over Demian Maia, Rousimar Palhares, C.B. Dollaway, Martin Kampmann, Tyron Woodley and others.
