Nathan Parker "Nate" Quarry (born March 19, 1972) is a retired

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

fighter who is most notable for his appearance in ''

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

'', a reality show from the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

, as well as co-hosting the show MMA Uncensored Live.

Early life and education

Quarry grew up as a member of the

Jehovah's Witness Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co- ...

es, which he later characterized as a

cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

which controls its members 24 hours a day. He grew up with two sisters and a brother in an abusive, violent household. He attended North Salem High School. He grew up in a sheltered lifestyle and did not even participate in organized sports until age 24, when he first became exposed to

. After a period of self-discovery, Quarry rejected his Jehovah's Witness upbringing, began to associate with others outside of the church and along the way began to train in mixed martial arts fighting in secrecy.UFC - NBCSports.com
/ref> After getting caught playing sports and dating a girl, Quarry was

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...

from the church and his family. Eventually, Quarry made his way to

Team Quest Team Quest is a mixed martial arts training camp founded by Randy Couture and Dan Henderson with facilities located in Gresham, Oregon; Murrieta, California; Encinitas, California; Redding, California; Hemet, California; and Chiang Mai, Thailand ...

, out of Gresham,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, where he continued to train until 2006.

Mixed martial arts career

Quarry made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2001, in a match against

Drew McFedries Michael Andrew "Drewbie" McFedries (born July 27, 1978) is an American retired mixed martial artist. McFedries formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, Titan Fighting Championship, Titan FC and Shooto. Background McFedries ...

, which he won with a TKO in the second round. After compiling a 5–1 record, Quarry was invited by the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

to participate in ''

'', a reality television show and mixed martial arts competition featuring up-and-coming MMA talent living and training in seclusion with the UFC. On the show however, Quarry had to drop out of the competition when he suffered an ankle injury during practice, which would have required six weeks to heal. He was asked to stay on as an assistant coach. When he was no longer officially allowed to compete, he allowed Team Quest teammate,

Chris Leben Christian Cyrus Leben (born July 21, 1980) is an American former mixed martial artist, referee, and bare knuckle boxer. A professional MMA competitor from 2002 until 2013, he most notably competed in the UFC in the Middleweight division, compiling ...

(who was already eliminated by

Josh Koscheck Josh Koscheck (born November 30, 1977) is an American retired mixed martial artist who fought at Welterweight for the UFC and Bellator MMA. Koscheck made his debut with the UFC on the first season of the reality television show, ''The Ultimate ...

) to take his place. During his time on the show, he was seen as the role model for Team Couture and would also stand up for Team Liddell member

Sam Hoger Samuel Earl Hoger (; born June 28, 1980) is an American retired mixed martial artist, poker player, and an actor, most notable for appearing on the first season of ''The Ultimate Fighter'', a reality television series produced by the Ultimate Fi ...

when others would make fun of him, but confronted him when he was accused of stealing UFC merchandise from the gym. Quarry made his UFC debut on ''The Ultimate Fighter'' finale card, where he defeated

Lodune Sincaid Lodune Ki Sincaid (May 7, 1973 – April 7, 2019) was an American professional mixed martial artist. He was WEC Light Heavyweight Champion in 2006, and was featured on the UFC's ''The Ultimate Fighter 1'' reality show, losing to Bobby Southwort ...

by TKO. He won his first two fights in the UFC, both first round stoppages, including a victory over

Shonie Carter Shonie Carter (born May 3, 1972), is an American former mixed martial artist. He is a former WEC Welterweight Champion, a UFC veteran, and a contestant on '' The Ultimate Fighter 4'' reality show. He has also competed in Pancrase, Shooto, Ki ...

, and was granted a shot at the middleweight title at UFC 56 on November 19, 2005. Quarry became the first ''Ultimate Fighter'' contestant to ever receive a UFC title shot. Middleweight Champion,

Rich Franklin Richard Jay Franklin II (born October 5, 1974) is an American businessman and retired mixed martial artist. He is best known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he is a member of the UFC Hall of Fame and a former UFC Midd ...

won the fight via one punch knockout in the first round. Up until his rematch with

Pete Sell Peter 'Drago' Sell, (born August 5, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, he has formerly competed for the UFC, and was a competitor on '' The Ultim ...

, Quarry had not fought since his knockout defeat against Franklin, due to numerous injuries suffered prior to his fight with Rich Franklin. After his fight with Franklin, Quarry underwent a successful surgical procedure in June 2006 to repair a chronic back injury due to his many years of hard training. In the news segment of his website, he reported that his back and nose had since healed and that he is back in training. On July 31, 2007, it was announced that Quarry would be making his return to the

on September 19, 2007 at UFC Fight Night 11, where he knocked out rival

. Quarry then defeated

Kalib Starnes Kalib Starnes (born January 6, 1975) is a Canadian mixed martial artist. Early life Starnes became involved in the martial arts at an early age and began teaching when he was a teenager. He started training in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu at the Gracie A ...

by decision at UFC 83. The fight was unusual because Starnes backed away from Quarry for almost the entire fight. In the final seconds of the fight, Quarry began showboating (which included the running-man) in protest to Starnes's refusal to engage. One judge scored the bout 30–24 in Quarry's favour, marking the second-largest margin of victory in UFC history. At UFC 91, Quarry faced undefeated submission specialist

Demian Maia Demian Augusto Maia Baptista (born 6 November 1977) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, submission grappler and 5th degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt. Maia competed in both the Welterweight and Middleweight divisio ...

. Maia controlled Nate on the ground and submitted him with a Rear Naked Choke in the first round. UFC 97 saw Nate take on Canadian fighter

Jason MacDonald Jason Anthony MacDonald (born June 3, 1975) is a Canadian former mixed martial artist. A professional from 1999 until 2013, he is perhaps best remembered for his two stints in the UFC, but also fought for King of the Cage, and the Maximum Fight ...

. Quarry over-powered Jason MacDonald by wrestling him to the ground and then delivering some brutal ground and pound bloodying him and ending the fight in the first round. Nate then fought

Tim Credeur Tim Credeur (born July 9, 1977) is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of Spike TV's ''The Ultimate Fighter 7'' and was defeated by fellow cast member Jesse Taylor in the semi-finals. He was then bro ...

, who was an Ultimate Fighter 7 contestant, at

UFC Fight Night 19 ''UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 19'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on September 16, 2009 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Background A previously announced bout ...

. Nate won the fight via unanimous decision. The bout received Fight of the Night honours. With this victory Quarry improved his UFC record to 7–2 and had won 4 of his last 5 bouts since his return to the UFC. In his last UFC bout, Quarry faced fellow seasoned MMA veteran Jorge Rivera at UFC Fight Night 21. After getting knocked down multiple times, Quarry lost the fight via TKO in the second round. After the fight Quarry underwent facial reconstruction surgery. Quarry has since retired from MMA. After his retirement he became the co-host of MMA Uncensored Live on

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are locate ...

. On April 19, 2015, Quarry came out of retirement for an exhibition bout with 19-year-old Jacob "Jake" Beckmann at Rumble at the Roseland. Beckmann has Down's syndrome and has been training martial arts for a number of years. He has long dreamed to compete in a MMA match and Quarry helped his wish come true. Quarry was "submitted" via leg lock in the second round. Beckmann was crowned 'world heavyweight champion' and adorned with a replica UFC title belt. The match also raised $1,000 for Create the Connection, an organization working to create meaningful employment opportunities for people in need.

Personal life

Quarry has a daughter named Ciera, whom he raised mostly as a single parent. He also has a son (born 2019) with his current wife. Quarry was featured in the video game ''

Left 4 Dead 2 ''Left 4 Dead 2'' is a 2009 first-person shooter video game developed and published by Valve. The sequel to '' Left 4 Dead'' (2008) and the second game in the '' Left 4 Dead'' series, it was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in November ...

'' as a guest zombie. Quarry created a comic book named Zombie Cage Fighter loosely based on his life. Quarry is interviewed in the 2013 documentary Truth be Told, where he discusses his sheltered upbringing, and eventual expulsion, from the Jehovah's Witness faith. On December 16, 2014, Quarry was listed as one of three MMA fighters who filed a class-action lawsuit against Zuffa, LLC., the parent company of the UFC. The suit alleges that the UFC participated in anti-competitive practices that hindered fighters and their mixed martial arts careers. Quarry was featured in the A&E documentary series '' Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath'' Season 3 Episode 1, "The Jehovah's Witnesses", airing on November 13, 2018.

Championships and awards

** Fight of the Night (One time) vs.

** UFC Encyclopedia Awards *** Fight of the Night (One time) **UFC.com Awards ***2007: Ranked #8 Knockout of the Year & Ranked #6 Fight of the Year ***2009: Ranked #3 Fight of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

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Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

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, TKO (elbows) ,

UFC 97 ''UFC 97: Redemption'' (not to be confused with ''UFC 17: Redemption'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on April 18, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Background This event broke the UFC attendanc ...

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UFC 91 ''UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on November 15, 2008, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The main event featured the return of UFC Heavy ...

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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UFC 83 ''UFC 83: Serra vs. St-Pierre 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event was held on April 19, 2008, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Background The event on this date was originally sc ...

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UFC 56 ''UFC 56: Full Force'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 19, 2005. It was held at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and later release ...

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UFC 53 ''UFC 53: Heavy Hitters'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 4, 2005, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and later ...

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Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

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References

External links

* *
Official UFC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quarry, Nathan 1972 births Living people People from Arcata, California American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Former Jehovah's Witnesses Sportspeople from Gresham, Oregon Critics of Jehovah's Witnesses Mixed martial artists from Oregon Mixed martial arts broadcasters Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu 20th-century American sportsmen