Feb 21, 2012 - 9:45:54 PM

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Nate Marquardt is on his way back to the Zuffa fold, as he has signed with Strikeforce and will make his debut sometime in May or June.

The news, first reported by @FrontRowBrian on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon, was confirmed by Ariel Helwani during Fuel TV's newest episode of UFC Tonight on Tuesday night. Though the exact date of his return hasn't yet been determined, he is expected to face Tyron Woodley in his Strikeforce debut, likely for the vacant Strikeforce Welterweight Championship.

Marquardt was released from the UFC last June after failing to comply with the terms of an exemption for testosterone replacement therapy. When his testosterone levels weren't within the range required by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission on the day of the weigh-ins, Marquardt was removed from his main event fight with Rick Story and the UFC immediately released him.

The former UFC Title challenger then signed with BAMMA, but never fought for the British promotion, ultimately gaining his release last month. He's been out of action since a win over Dan Miller last March, which bounced him back from a decision loss to Yushin Okami in November of 2010.

A longtime middleweight contender, Marquardt then decided to drop to welterweight, but the removal from UFC on Versus 4 had delayed that move. Now with Strikeforce, he will finally make his debut at 170 lbs.

Penick's Analysis: This is a step in Marquardt getting back into the UFC. It's an open door, and an opportunity for him to be the big fish in a small pond. He's always been a fantastically well rounded fighter, and though he struggled in fights against Yushin Okami and Chael Sonnen, he has the potential to be a force in the welterweight division. He was already going to be a challenger at 170 lbs. in the UFC, and had he made his debut against Story could have made a statement right off the bat. Now he'll do it in a decidedly lower profile organization, but it is still a better opportunity for him than what he had with BAMMA, and if he can hand Woodley his first ever loss, it will be a great first start to him eventually getting back inside the Octagon.

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