Clay Guida is used to be overlooked while competing in the stacked UFC lightweight division.
While earning notable victories over such fighters as Takanori Gomi and Anthony Pettis, Guida has yet to pay his dues and receive a title shot. But “The Carpenter” is just fine with continuing on facing the best fighters in the world.
This weekend, Guida will meet Benson Henderson on the preliminary card of UFC on FOX and although the winner might not necessarily be guaranteed a title shot, Guida just hopes to go out and perform how he usually does.
“We’ve been around [in the UFC] for five years and have never been in a rush to get a title shot, so we’re not starting now,” Guida told CagePotato.com. “Hopefully a big win against Henderson will put an exclamation point on me being the legit, No. 1 contender and show Joe Silva, Dana White, and the Fertita brothers.”
Henderson has also settled well at 155 pounds since his exit from the WEC last year, where he established himself as one of the company’s top stars. Henderson last loss was to Anthony Pettis, who coincidentally was defeated by Guida earlier this year at The Ultimate Finale 13. Guida believes Henderson presents a different challenge towards him and feels he is a tougher opponent than Pettis.
“Pettis stayed in Henderson’s face and kept him guessing. It would be smart to follow suit,” he said.
Guida is aware he isn’t favoured to beat Henderson, but he will look to use that mentality to prove the critics wrong.
“It’s time to go out there and prove the critics wrong,” he said.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com