“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.”

When Mick Jagger wrote the classic song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” he obviously had no idea that it would one day relate to the sport of mixed martial arts, but for Nate Marquardt there may not be a more perfect theme song.

In his last bout, he faced Brazilian Thales Leites in a middleweight showdown and despite the former King of Pancrase’s dominant performance two separate illegal strikes causing point deductions essentially cost him the match.

Leites got the win via a split decision victory, but far from a definitive performance, many fans instantly asked for a rematch to settle the matter. Marquardt also asked for that same rematch, but he was soon rebuffed in his request.

“I think they would have given me that fight, I asked for it and their response was (Leites) didn’t want to fight me again,” said Marquardt in a recent interview with MMAWeekly Radio.

Little did he know that his request for a rematch being denied may have led him to the bigger fight that he faces on Saturday night as he squares off against Martin Kampmann at UFC 88 in Atlanta.

“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.”

Regardless of the rematch with Leites, Marquardt believes he is in a much better position than his last opponent, taking on a fighter that could be poised for a title shot in the near future. That’s exactly what the Colorado resident is looking for as well and he’s not looking back at past fights.

“My stock went up after that fight,” he commented about the Leites bout. “I’m getting a better fight than he’s getting. I’m getting a fight against someone that beat him, someone that’s undefeated. I’m trying to climb the ladder, I want to get to the top and I think if I had a rematch against him any time after this fight it would be kind of a step down.”

What he faces in Martin Kampmann is a tough as nails striker who has also shown a great ability to control the ground game as well. Marquardt knows he will have to be on top of his game to beat the Danish fighter at UFC 88.

“He is very well rounded, but at the same time I know I can beat him in any area,” he said about Kampmann. “I don’t necessarily know what his gameplan is, that’s going to be one of the biggest questions. I can assume some things from watching his past fights.”

Following his last bout, Marquardt traveled to Montreal to help good friend and training partner Georges St. Pierre prepare for his most recent bout before traveling to Greg Jackson’s gym in New Mexico and then closing out his training at his home gym in Colorado, giving him the best possible camp to get ready for Kampmann.

Always staying positive, Marquardt hopes that he gets to fight at least one more time in 2008, and he is also hopeful to get a second shot at champion Anderson Silva so he can “be the one that knocks him off there.”

First up on the agenda is facing Martin Kampmann in a feature bout at UFC 88 in Atlanta on Saturday night.

I predict this to be the fight of the night. I like Marquardt and Kampmann is very good. I can't wait to see this fight!!