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

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

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) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, 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 millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...

es, which he later characterized as a cult 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 end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

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 state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. 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 UFC, Titan FC and Shooto. Background McFedries was born in Ames, Iowa and raised in Bettendorf, Iowa. His ...

, 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 Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

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, compili ...

(who was already eliminated by

Josh Koscheck Edinboro Fighting Scots Josh D. 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 realit ...

) 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 Southwo ...

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

Shonie Carter Mearion Shonie Bickhem III (born May 3, 1972), better known as Shonie Carter, is an American 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 als ...

, 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 ''UFC Fight Night: Thomas vs. Florian'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 11'') was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on Wednesday, September 19, 2007, at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. ...

, 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 Aca ...

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 Maia (born 6 November 1977) is a Brazilian professional submission grappler and mixed martial artist. He competed in both the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Maia is regarded as one ...

. 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 Timothy Wallace Credeur II (born July 9, 1977) is a retired American 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 brought ...

, 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 bou ...

. 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 ''UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 21'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 31, 2010 at Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, This was the third time ...

. 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. 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 game developed and published by Valve. The sequel to Turtle Rock Studios's ''Left 4 Dead'' (2008) and the second game in the ''Left 4 Dead'' series, it was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox ...

'' 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.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 , Jorge Rivera , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:29 ,

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, United States, , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 ,

, 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 ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:27 ,

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–3 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

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 ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:44 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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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, KO (punch) ,

UFC 56 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 Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 ,

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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 ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:37 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale The debut season of The Ultimate Fighter (later designated ''The Ultimate Fighter 1'') premiered on January 17, 2005. Sixteen mixed martial arts fighters (eight light heavyweights weighing from 186 to 205 lb and eight middleweights weighing from ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Chris Kiever , Submission (triangle choke) , IFC: Battleground Boise , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:33 ,

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown ar ...

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San Jacinto, California San Jacinto ( ; ; Spanish for " St. Hyacinth") is a city in Riverside County, California. It is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south and Beaumont, California, to its north. The mountains associated with ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , George Lopez , KO (punch) , Gladiator Challenge 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:02 ,

Porterville, California Porterville is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, United States. It is part of the Visalia-Porterville metropolitan statistical area. Since its incorporation in 1902, the city's population has grown as it annexed n ...

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Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Me ...

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References

External links

Nate Quarry's Official Website
*
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