How do you solve a problem like Maria?
I have no idea, I never watched that dumb movie, but I do know how to solve a problem like BJ Penn: you wrestle-fuck “The Prodigy” to shut down his boxing and vaunted jiu-jitsu game, something Jon Fitch, Frankie Edgar, and Georges St-Pierre all did with great success.
And let’s face it, no one can “Guida” as well as the man himself.
Clay Guida is fighting BJ Penn at the upcoming UFC 237 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Sat., May 11, 2019 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (details). And even though “The Prodigy” has lost six straight fights, “The Carpenter” knows that sort of free-falling desperation can make a fighter dangerous.
Which is why this fight is headed south for the winter.
“I’m looking to get back to the old ways of ‘The Carpenter’ — getting these guys down and ground-and-pounding them,” Guida told MMA Fighting. “The fight is definitely gonna go to the ground and we’re gonna have to watch out for a slick guy like B.J. who’s dangerous everywhere. He’s got tricks up his sleeve. He’s one of the most dangerous fighters. I don’t care how old he is. I don’t care when the last time he won his last fight is. That guy can slip a submission on you, any time, any place.”
Or get caught in one, any time, any place.
Like Penn, Guida is also coming off a submission loss, thanks to a Charles Oliveira guillotine last June. Neither fighter is ranked in the Top 15 and I don’t expect the outcome at UFC 237 to be enough to change that.
It’s hard to imagine UFC would continue to book Penn with a loss in Rio, and I’m not sure what’s left for the Hawaiian to prove after securing a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame. Maybe he can get a fresh start by joining this guy overseas?