The 6′ 0″ 185 pound fighter has a very powerful and impressive ground game. This gives him an advantage over Sonnen in this match up, should the bout get to the ground. Marquardt is a very solid ground fighter from on his back and could submit Sonnen.

Marquardt is a three-time Champion of the middleweight division in the Pancrase Champion, and possesses a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu. Nearly half of his MMA wins have come by submission.

On the other side of the ring, Sonnen was a former college National Champion wrestler, All-American, and was even an alternate on the United States Olympic wrestling team. Despite his impressive wrestling credentials, Sonnen would would still be better served keeping the fight from the ground as long as possible. Marquadt would nullify any attempt that Sonnen tries to submit.

Sonnen has the advantage in striking, and would hold the upper hand in the fight if he is able to execute a game plan that keeps the fight to a striking battle. His last few losses have come by way of submission, and Sonnen will be weary of that. Sonnen won his last outing against Yushin Okami.

Both of these fighters are nearing a title shot against current holder Anderson Silva and a win will move them one step closer.

This middleweight clash on paper seems to be relatively even, but sports books such as Bodog are favoring Marquadt heavily. Currently, Marquadt is installed as a -525 favorite to defeat Sonnen according to the MMA Betting lines at Bodog sports book. Sonnen assumes the underdog role, and is currently set at +325 in this match up.

The fight can be seen live on Saturday, February 6th from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Ls Vegas. It. will be broadcast on Pay-Per-View.