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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Wanderlei Silva has been out of action since a decision victory over Michael Bisping in February, but when he makes his return to the UFC he'll have no shortage of potential opponents.
Chris Leben replaced him at UFC 116 against Yoshihiro Akiyama, and promptly called him out after pulling off the upset. Then Alan Belcher, who had been sidelined due to a torn retina, stated that he'd like to face Silva when he returns in early 2011.
Now, Nate Marquardt has thrown his name into the mix as a potential opponent for "The Axe Murderer."
Speaking with UK based Fighter's Only, Marquardt responded to the criticism from UFC President Dana White over his performance at UFC 122 and his desire to face Silva in the cage to get back on track.
"After the fight and in recent days, Dana White has publicly criticized me for being a 'choker' and not being aggressive enough," Marquardt said. " While Dana's comments were difficult to hear, I firmly believe that I am one of the best fighters in the world and will one day be the UFC middleweight champion.
"However in hindsight Dana is right - in order to live up to my full potential and realize my championship dreams I need to be more aggressive and showcase my inherent killer instinct. I need to stalk my opponents, impose my will and finish fights on a consistent basis."
And with that said, Marquardt believes Silva is the one fighter that can give him the type of fight to put himself back into the mix in the top of the division.
"In order to re-establish myself as the number one contender, my next opponent needs to be an elite fighter who will stand and bang with me in the center of the Octagon until one of us is knocked out," Marquardt said. "The fight that makes the most sense to me is Wanderlei Silva. I have a ton of respect for Wanderlei and have wanted this fight for years, the fans have wanted this fight, they deserve to see two of the best fighters in the world in an all out war.
"Wanderlei is an amazing fighter who is very aggressive, I will pursue him with unwavering tenacity, then I will knock him out! I promise the UFC, Dana, my fans, my team, my coaches and most importantly myself that never again will there be a question about my cage aggression."
Silva is still recovering from knee surgery that took him out of the fight with Akiyama in July. He's expected to be available in early 2011.
Penick's Analysis: Of the three names mentioned, I'm not sure which fight I'd be most interested in at this point. All of them have their merits, and I'm definitely a fan of the way all three fighters fight. Marquardt's performance against Okami was disappointing, but he remains one of the best fighters in the division. Leben and Belcher have both engaged in some very entertaining fights over the last few years and could definitely bring out a great fight against "The Axe Murderer" as well. Until Silva's fully ready to return, however, we won't know which way the UFC wants to go with him, but hopefully that return is early in 2011 and one of these guys gets a crack at him.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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