Dennis Bermudez started fast and ended strong in his featherweight scrap with Clay Guida at UFC on FOX 12 in San Jose on Saturday night. Bermudez, who lives in New York but trains in California, was changing levels and beating Guida to the punch from the opening bell.
In the second round, Bermudez finally was able to overwhelm the Jackson/Winkeljohn fighter, Guida. He mounted Guida along the fence and transitioned into a rear naked choke. The end came at 2:57 of the second round.
Guida, who has rediscovered his wrestling since rejoining Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, was unable to budge the sturdy Bermudez. Several times throughout the opening round he tried to shoot in on Bermudez but was thwarted. He was also getting strafed from distance on the feet.
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“I’m stoked to the max right now,” he told Joe Rogan in the cage after. “Clay is an awesome fighter, really tough, and he’s going to be in the UFC Hall of Fame one day, I’ll put a lot of money on it. To beat him is something else.”
The victory was the 27-year old Bermudez’s seventh in a row since losing to Diego Brandao in the TUF 14 Finale back in December 2011.
“I said if I finished Clay Guida I would like a title shot,” he said. “But, I’ll take anybody in the top five.”
For the 32-year old Guida it was a tough way to follow up his Fight of the Night performance/victory over Tatsuya Kawajiri in April. Since dropping down to the featherweight division, Guida is now 2-2 (31-12 overall). In 2010-2011 Guida had won four fights in a row as a lightweight before dropping a title eliminator to eventual champion Benson Henderson. After a lackluster loss to Gray Maynard in Atlantic City in 2012, he decided to switch weight classes.
Bermudez is now 14-3 overall.
Clay Guida trying for takedowns, but was being shut down early.