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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
A middleweight bout between Alessio Sakara and Nate Marquardt will no longer be coming to UFC 116 in July, as Sakara has pulled himself out of the fight.
Sakara's withdrawal was reported by Dave Meltzer, who says Sakara has withdrawn from the fight due to the death of his father.
He was entering the fight with his three fight win streak in the UFC.
There is no word yet as to whether Marquardt will remain on the card or who may replace Sakara. Marquardt's next fight will be his first since getting derailed by Chael Sonnen at UFC 109 in February.
Penick's Analysis: Condolences first and foremost go out to Sakara and his family. Having a death like that hit during training camp is not at all conducive to being able to perform at your best as a fighter, so Sakara taking himself out of the fight is no surprise. Hopefully he'll be able to make his return later this year.
As for Marquardt, his inclusion on the 116 card would be welcome, so hopefully the UFC can find a suitable middleweight replacement. He'll be looking to get back into action and erase the memory of the Sonnen fight as quickly as possible.
RELATED STORY: UFC NEWS: Nelson vs. Kongo, Marquardt vs. Sakara, Schaub vs. Tuchscherer all rumored for UFC 116 in July: [CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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