Ten years on from their classic encounter in The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale, Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida is now going to be part of the UFC Hall of Fame.
When all is said and done, Diego Sanchez will surely have multiple bouts in the “classic fights” wing of the UFC Hall of Fame. What we do know is that Sanchez is assured of at least one.
Sanchez’s enthralling split decision win over Clay Guida is the latest entry into the UFC HOF, per an official UFC announcement during Saturday’s UFC 238 broadcast. The formal induction set for July 5th as part of International Fight Week.
The two men headlined The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale on June 20th, 2009 in a lightweight bout. Back then, non-title main events were only three rounds, but the opening round itself had enough action for a five-rounder. One of the highlights of that contest was Sanchez flooring Guida with a head kick, but in typical Guida fashion, he avoided getting knocked out after such a brutal shot.
It was a back-and-forth, grueling affair that saw scorecards of 28-29, 29-27, and 29-28 in favor of Sanchez, who would earn a title shot against B.J. Penn at UFC 107. Guida fought Kenny Florian on that same pay-per-view, but when Florian dropped him it resulted in a rear-naked choke defeat.
Flash to present day and Guida is a month removed from beating B.J. Penn by unanimous decision, while Sanchez is set for a welterweight showdown with Michael Chiesa at UFC 239 next month.
Other inductees who will be a part of the Hall of Fame class of 2019 are former UFC champions Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping, and Rich Franklin.