StrikeForce: July 14, 2012 Portland, Oregon (Vacant Welterweight Title) 
Nate Marquardt (-125) Profile: Marquardt (34-10-2) obviously has a lot more experience than Tyron Woodley if you compare their records. However, the 33-year-old also could be headed toward the downside of his career after being released by the UFC for not receiving medical clearance to fight following testosterone replacement therapy. Marquardt was going to face Rick Story at UFC on Versus 4 in his debut at welterweight last June 26 and has been off since defeating Dan Miller by unanimous decision at UFC 128 last March 19 as a middleweight. He has split his last four bouts overall, beating Miller and Rousimar Palhares and losing to Yushin Okami and Chael Sonnen. Three of those fights, including the two losses, ended with unanimous decisions while the other was a first-round TKO of Palhares. Tyron Woodley (-105) Profile: Woodley (10-0) has yet to lose in his pro MMA career but also has not faced a lot of stiff competition to date. Eight of his 10 bouts have come in Strikeforce, with the last three and four of the past five going to the judges. This is a stark contrast to the start of his career, when he submitted his first five opponents, including his first three in Strikeforce. The 30-year-old is a former collegiate wrestler at the University of Missouri and coming off a split decision victory against Jordan Mein at Strikforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine on January 7. The biggest win of his career was earning a unanimous decision over Paul Daley at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson last July 30. Opening Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas set the opening number in favor of Marquardt at -125 (bet $125 to win $100) with Woodley a slight -105 underdog according to the Strikeforce odds. Marquardt definitely has the edge in terms of experience, but his time off (more than a year) and drop down to welterweight make this a much more even fight. Woodley is the No. 14 welterweight in the MMAOB MMA Fighter Rankings and would seem to have an advantage if he can get Marquardt to the ground, using his wrestling skills to score points in hopes of grinding out a victory. This routine has worked recently for Woodley, who is a methodical fighter and knows exactly what he needs to do to stay unbeaten. Marquardt is the more powerful of the two but also has earned nearly half of his wins by submission (15) to go along with eight knockouts. He has also been one of the top title contenders at the UFC level while Woodley might be more hungry in this particular situation
