UFC's Nate Marquardt a Hero in the Age of The Heel

As of late we have seen some fighters take the role of the heel by choice while some seem to have been put in that role due to finicky fans. There is one fighter that stands out as more of a hero than a heel and I salute him for his efforts. That fighter is Nate Marquardt.

Fighters.com fourth-ranked middleweight “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2) is a man many should take notice of as he is not only a great fighter but an amazing human being. Nate was just recently named the Sharon Antcliff Foundation’s “True Warrior” for 2009.

The Sharon Antcliff Foundation (SAF) is a charity that  works to help families who have a loved one suffering from young-onset Alzheimer’s.

As you read this, there are roughly 500,000 diagnosed cases of young-onset Alzheimer’s in the United States. Those families face a battle every day, not just against the disease, but against the impact it has on their family, their relationships, their finances, and their way of life.

Young-onset Alzheimer’s can strike those in their 50s, 40s, and even their 30s. This disease does not care who it attacks. It doesn’t care if you’re under 65. It doesn’t care if your grandchild was just born. It doesn’t care if you still want to travel. It doesn’t care if you’re making the money that supports your family. It doesn’t care if you still have kids at home that need a parent full time. And it doesn’t care that there are nearly no programs set up to help these families. SAF does and works towards these goals each and every day.

Kevin Antcliff, whose mother Sharon passed away due to this disease, formed this organization to help those families struggling. He then set up the SAF Warriors program with the purpose of finding others willing to stand in the corners of young-onset victims and caregivers as they fight the effects of this cruel disease every day of their lives. Nate is one of these Warriors.

Nate was approached by the director through Facebook on what he admits was nothing more than a shot in the dark. He asked Nate to help promote a local cause with national aspirations and amazingly Nate agreed.

Nate was named the winner of the Tequilla Cazadores Spirit Award before his fight at UFC 102. At this time Nate named SAF as the recipient of a grant on his behalf. Nate’s involvement with SAF Warriors and the Sharon Antcliff Foundation has allowed them to gain access they otherwise may not have had to the MMA community. Within the MMA community the foundation has found people willing to spread their message, seek donations, seek volunteers and help them to foster relationships. Perhaps the most important aspect of all is that Nate is doing this an has asked for nothing in return. Something we rarely find anymore, a straight from the heart act of kindness and generosity.

Today as MMA looks to move forward and become one of the top sports in the world, men like Nate are needed more than ever. These are the stories we should be telling rather than allowing the main stream media to focus on the post-fight antics like we saw at UFC 100 with UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (4-1).

Nate truly is a hero and an unsung one at that. Nate will get plenty of press for his fight with seventh-ranked middleweight Chael Sonnen (23-10-1) at UFC 109 on February 6 and sadly this story, his involvement and the Sharon Antcliff Foundation will likely go unnoticed.

The sport of MMA can use this type of publicity and can take a lesson from the NFL who is always spotlighting players and the charities they work with.

If you would like to learn more about SAF Foundation or SAF Warriors you can visit them at http://sharonantclifffoundation.org and http://www.safwarriors.org/. Let’s all take the time to thank Nate for being a true hero a positive role model in mixed martial arts.