(Nate based his decision on money, contractual freedom, and the fact that wrestlers don’t exist in the U.K.)

BAMMA.net breaks it:

We are proud to announce that we have signed one of the top-ranked fighters in the world, former UFC contender Nate Marquardt. We will reveal Marquardt’s next opponent and more details on his highly anticipated BAMMA debut in the coming weeks.

Liam Fisher at BAMMA stated, “As soon as we received word that the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission lifted Marquardt’s suspension we jumped at the chance to sign him. He is a top ranked contender and an asset to any promotion. Words cannot express how excited we are that Marquardt is now fighting under the BAMMA banner”…

Marquardt had this to say about signing with Europe’s leading MMA promotion, “Offers came in from several fight promotions, but we felt that BAMMA was definitely the best fit. They put on high-quality shows, stack their cards with top-level fighters, and sign those fighters to multi-fight deals. They are also the only fight organization in the UK that implements PED testing. To be honest, that is one of the main reasons that we chose BAMMA. I want to prove to my fans and to the world that I’m the real deal and that I belong on top.”

…

Marquardt went on to say, “Now that my suspension has been lifted and I’ve found a home with a new fight promotion, I can move forward and turn my focus back to my fight career. This has been an extremely difficult time and I’m very thankful to those who stood by me. I’m looking forward to getting back to fighting and there are some guys out there that I would definitely like to get my hands on. I’m talking about the fighters that kicked me while I was down. BAMMA is known for signing top talent …so I may just get my chance.”

Of course, “top talent” is a subjective phrase. A matchup with welterweight slugger Paul Daley seems like a possibility down the road; if you’ll recall, Daley should be BAMMA’s welterweight champion right now, if not for that pesky 0.4 pounds. But in general, the talent pool has grown increasingly shallow outside of Zuffa and Bellator (whose champions did their best to call Marquardt out). If you have any practical matchmaking ideas for Nate, let’s hear ‘em…