It was July 26, 2003 when Clay Guida entered the Octagon for the very first time to take on Adam Copenhaver in Ottawa, Illinois.
Guida’s career got off to a rough start, as he was submitted via rear-naked choke midway through Round 1.
Things didn’t get any easier as “The Carpenter” would go on to lose two of his next five bouts.
However, things turned around for Guida, reeling off a career-best 15 consecutive wins before entering the Strikeforce organization in 2006.
Guida would only fight two fights before joining forces with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
In his first 10 UFC bouts, Guida would post a subpar 5-5 record and it appeared he’d never be a legitimate lightweight contender.
Still, Guida became a fan favorite over the course of his early career in the UFC, as he provided fans with the excitement and entertainment value they all search for and appreciate.
After going through the mediocre stretch of his career, Guida won four consecutive fights, including wins over Anthony Pettis and Takanori Gomi.
Now, Guida will take on arguably the toughest matchup in his career when he squares off with fellow lightweight Ben Henderson at UFC on FOX 1.
Despite displaying inconsistency over his UFC career, Guida has done everything that’s been asked of him and more.
He’s won four “Fight of the Night” awards, took home “Submission of the Night” honors twice, and even won “Fight of the Year” against Tyson Griffin at UFC 72 in ’07.
If Guida can find a way to defeat Henderson November 12th, he’ll have done enough to have earned a lightweight title fight against current champion Frankie Edgar.
Melvin Guillard was originally believed to be one fight away, but all hopes of that collapsed after being submitted by Joe Lauzon at UFC 136 in the very first round.
So, a win against Ben Henderson at UFC on FOX 1 will have certainly earned Clay Guida a lightweight title shot.
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