Nate Marquardt suffered his fifth defeat in his past six fights when his coach called off his UFC 188 contest with Kelvin Gastelum between the second and third rounds.

The sight of an exhausted Marquardt (33-15-2 MMA, 11-8 UFC) on the stool, struggling to tell longtime trainer Trevor Wittman that he had “nothing left” after two rounds of Gastelum’s (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) offense, was an image some believed could have marked the end of his UFC tenure.

It remains to be seen if the organization opts to release the former middleweight title challenger after a 1-4 record (including three stoppage losses) in his past five fights. However, Marquardt doesn’t believe he’s going anywhere. He wrote in a statement on his official website that “God has a plan for me and it’s in the UFC for sure from what he’s shown me.”

Should “The Great” be granted another UFC bout, he hopes to experience far less issues in the days leading up to the fight compared to what he dealt with at UFC 188.

Marquardt claims the excruciating altitude of Mexico City, which hosted the event, made it difficult for his body to acclimate. Pair that with an alleged pre-fight “sickness” and Marquardt’s wasn’t only fighting Gastelum, but also the elements and his own body.

“The day of the fight, I was dealing with some issues,” Marquardt wrote. “I got some sickness and was dehydrated and cramping in my muscles. Before the fight I threw up and had abdominal cramping. Also I had an issue with my blood pressure probably due to the altitude.

“The research I did for the altitude was inconclusive and I thought that coming from Denver, I would adjust in the 4 days. I’m not sure what hit me worse, the sickness or the altitude but once the fight was 2 minutes in the first round, I knew something was wrong. My legs were stiffening and not working correctly. There was one knee to my body that wasn’t that hard and it cramped up my whole insides.”

During the contest it was clear that Gastelum was superior to Marquardt on that night. He got the better of the striking and grappling exchanges through the first two rounds, and that trend would have likely continued into the third.

In most situations a coach would push the athlete out for the third round even when its clear victory is a lost cause. Wittman could have encouraged Marquardt to participate in the final frame, but instead he saved the fighter from risking any potentially unnecessary damage.

Marquardt said in the moment he hoped the fight would continue. But after taking some time to digest the result, he believes coach Wittman made the wise decision.

“My corner tried to stop the fight in the second round; after the second round, Trevor said he was going to stop the fight and I said ‘No!’ Then I decided in my head that I would sit there until the round started and give one last attempt to knock him out,” Marquardt said. “I knew I had nothing in the tank though. Then I looked up and saw the fight was stopped. Now I can say that Trevor did the right thing and protected me because I couldn’t move.”

UFC 188 signified Marquardt’s 50th pro fight dating back to his MMA debut in April 1999. He’s made 19 UFC appearances in that stretch and is among the 185-pound division’s all-time leaders in wins, finishes and knockdowns.

At 36, Marquardt continued his late-career slump against Gastelum. There were some talks of retirement in the MMA community after the fight, but Marquardt did not mention that possibility in his post-fight statement while remaining optimistic that his future was in the octagon.

“I’m not trying to make an excuse for losing; I don’t really feel that I need an excuse because I did my best with what I had and fought hard when I could,” Marquardt wrote. “I just want my friends to know why I fought like that and that I’m OK. Congrats to Kelvin. He’s a great fighter and I hope to train with him someday. I trust that God has a plan for me and it’s in the UFC for sure from what he’s shown me. Right now, I’m excited to meet our baby that is coming in the next few days!! God bless you all in Jesus!”

For complete coverage of UFC 188, check out the UFC Events section of the site.