Tarec Saffiedine defied the odds and closed the book on the days of Strikeforce by upsetting Nate Marquardt to win the Strikeforce welterweight title and cement his place in the UFC.
On a main card that saw lopsided favourites dominate lesser opponents, Saffiedine scored one for the underdog fighters, chopping Marquardt’s legs down with kicks en route to a unanimous decision victory.
The first two rounds were an even contest, but as the third round went on Saffiedine took control of the fight and never looked back. His offense was based around kicking the lead leg of Marquardt often and with great force. As the fight moved in to the championship rounds, the damage became more apparent and an obviously hobbled Marquardt limped through the final two rounds. Marquardt put up a valiant effort to remain effective on the feet, but as the damage increased he became the proverbial one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.
Saffiedine now enters the record books as the final Strikeforce champion and looks to have secured further employment with the UFC. For Marquardt, the picture is a little more murky as he sports a 1-1 record at welterweight and was previously dropped from the UFC roster after a drug test indicated elevated testosterone levels. Marquardt has since given up the controversial testosterone replacement therapy.
