Tag: Clay Guida

*Fingers Crossed* Guida vs. Hioki, Grant vs. Wiman, + More Added to Stacked UFC on FOX 6 Card


(We know, Clay, we had a hard time watching your last fight too.) 

It’s looking like the crippling power of this year’s injury curse is going to be tested early come 2013, because the UFC’s first major network event of the year is currently stacked with more budding talent than a Miss Teen USA pageant. Aside from the Cerrone/Pettis, Jackson/Teixeira, and Dodson/Johnson fights that were announced earlier this week, the UFC has recently announced that Clay Guida will be making his featherweight debut again Hatsu Hioki at the same event as well.

Guida’s last performance saw him channel Steve Prefontaine for the majority of five rounds against Gray Maynard at UFC on FX 4, earning him his second straight loss at lightweight following his much more exciting loss to current champion Benson Henderson at the inaugural UFC on FOX event.

Despite the fact that he is coming off a close decision loss to Ricardo Lamas at the same event, there’s no denying that Hioki is still considered to be one of the top contenders at 145, so a win over Hatsu is not only essential for Guida — he has never dropped three straight in his MMA career — but would easily launch him up the list of potential contenders to boot. Let’s just hope he brings a more aggressive strategy against Hioki or we could be in for a long three rounds.

Also booked for UFC on FOX 6…


(We know, Clay, we had a hard time watching your last fight too.) 

It’s looking like the crippling power of this year’s injury curse is going to be tested early come 2013, because the UFC’s first major network event of the year is currently stacked with more budding talent than a Miss Teen USA pageant. Aside from the Cerrone/Pettis, Jackson/Teixeira, and Dodson/Johnson fights that were announced earlier this week, the UFC has recently announced that Clay Guida will be making his featherweight debut again Hatsu Hioki at the same event as well.

Guida’s last performance saw him channel Steve Prefontaine for the majority of five rounds against Gray Maynard at UFC on FX 4, earning him his second straight loss at lightweight following his much more exciting loss to current champion Benson Henderson at the inaugural UFC on FOX event.

Despite the fact that he is coming off a close decision loss to Ricardo Lamas at the same event, there’s no denying that Hioki is still considered to be one of the top contenders at 145, so a win over Hatsu is not only essential for Guida — he has never dropped three straight in his MMA career — but would easily launch him up the list of potential contenders to boot. Let’s just hope he brings a more aggressive strategy against Hioki or we could be in for a long three rounds.

Elsewhere on the card…

A matchup between surging lightweights T.J. Grant and Matt Wiman is also in the works for the UFC’s return to Fox. Despite fighting in the UFC for over three years, one could argue that Grant finally had his coming out party in his last fight against Evan Dunham at UFC 152. The submission specialist actually managed to outstrike the striker for the majority of the fight, mutilating Dunham’s face worse than Mark Dacascos does a Japanese accent en route to a unanimous decision victory. It was Grant’s third straight victory since dropping to lightweight and sixth overall under the Zuffa banner. Wiman is also coming off the biggest win of his career, having submitted undefeated submission whiz Paul Sass via first round armbar at UFC on FUEL 5 in his last octagon appearance. The TUF 5 alum has now won 5 of his last 6 fights.

And finally, the featherweight pairing of two top contenders in Erik Koch and Ricardo Lamas — which was originally reported to be transpiring at UFC 155 — has also been added to the January 26th Fox card. No word yet on whether or not the UFC will bring the winner of the Guida/Hikoi fight into the octagon afterward to engage in a good old fashioned staged confrontation, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed.

Oh yeah, a heavyweight matchup between Mike Russow and Shawn Jordan has also been added to UFC on Fox 6, but judging by their last performances, you probably couldn’t give a shit.

Now here’s a cat attacking a small child. Good day.

–J. Jones

UFC Power Rankings: The Most Boring Fights in UFC History

While we all love mixed martial arts, we can hardly deny that its premier organisation has had its fair share of mind-numbingly boring fights. Whether we’re talking pre-Zuffa or post-Zuffa UFC, both incarnations have offered up some of the most t…

While we all love mixed martial arts, we can hardly deny that its premier organisation has had its fair share of mind-numbingly boring fights.

Whether we’re talking pre-Zuffa or post-Zuffa UFC, both incarnations have offered up some of the most tediously dull bouts in combat sports history.

So without any further rambling, I present to you the five most boring fights in UFC history.

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Kenny Florian: Why a Return to Fighting Would Be a Mistake

When Kenny Florian retired earlier this year, many fans were sad to see the UFC vet leave. Although Florian made the decision to leave the sport just a few days after his 36th birthday, the main cause of his retirement were injuries. No one l…

When Kenny Florian retired earlier this year, many fans were sad to see the UFC vet leave. 

Although Florian made the decision to leave the sport just a few days after his 36th birthday, the main cause of his retirement were injuries. 

No one likes to see someone go out against their will. Especially someone with as much talent as Florian. 

Recently, Florian told MMAJunkie radio that he was recovering very well and was hoping to get back to training. 

When asked if he would be open to return to fighting, Florian said he remained undecided on if he would come back but never say never. 

Although many fans may love to see him come back so he can go out on his own terms, it may be a better idea to stay retired. 

For one, Florian’s recurring injuries could lead to something more permanent if he continues to fight.

Florian could not even train properly because of his back injury, and not training properly could lead to hurting himself even more. 

Florian also has nothing else to prove in the sport. 

In Florian’s nine-year MMA career, he has defeated many fighters in multiple weight classes including Clay Guida, Diego Nunes, and Takanori Gomi. 

Although Florian has finished many good fighters in his career, he may be known more for his losses than his wins. 

While some fighters hope to just reach one title fight, Florian fought in three, losing to Sean Sherk, BJ Penn, and, most recently, Jose Aldo at featherweight. 

Although a UFC title has eluded Florian, considering he is 36 and has a great career as a commentator ahead of him, Florian should stick to enjoying the retired life. 

If he can get healthy and back in shape, the temptation to come back will be there. 

But it may be best if he plays it safe and stays away from competing in the sport. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Clay Guida: 5 Fights for Him to Take at Featherweight

The news came last Friday that current UFC lightweight Clay Guida will drop to the featherweight division.There’s no corresponding news just yet on who Guida’s first opponent might be at 145 pounds. So why don’t I jump in and fill the void with some wi…

The news came last Friday that current UFC lightweight Clay Guida will drop to the featherweight division.

There’s no corresponding news just yet on who Guida’s first opponent might be at 145 pounds. So why don’t I jump in and fill the void with some wild speculation? Here are five possibilities. 

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Guida, Edgar Make Featherweight Division One of UFC’s Best

You know, guys… I have not been a big believer in the MMA featherweight division for a long time. In fact, I have written several articles mercilessly ripping on the 145-lb landscape over the last year. I felt like the division was really weak. Plain…

You know, guys…

I have not been a big believer in the MMA featherweight division for a long time. In fact, I have written several articles mercilessly ripping on the 145-lb landscape over the last year.

I felt like the division was really weak. Plain and simple. The second somebody looked even remotely good, they entered the title picture. As soon as a member of the MMA media could fantasize about Jose Aldo having even a slight bit of trouble against somebody, he became the next in line for a shot at the belt.

While that was only a few months ago, things have changed in a profound way. Now, the featherweight division seems like, perhaps, one of the best in the UFC. In the time since my last derisive article about the 145-pounders, things have completely reversed course.

Just about six months ago, the UFC was in an incredibly bad spot. Chad Mendes had just had his skull kneed out of the rest of his head, and there simply were no real opponents left for champion Jose Aldo. The UFC had two people to choose from; Hatsu Hioki and Erik Koch.

Neither fighter had any wins over big-name opponents. Hell, they had not even fought anybody especially good.

Hatsu Hioki became the presumptive top contender with wins over George Roop and Bart Palaszewski who, to this day, have a combined 8-9-1 record in Zuffa. Hioki opted to not fight Aldo, which forced the UFC to turn to Koch.

Koch, though he himself had a 5-1 record under the Zuffa umbrella, owned wins over Jameel Massouh, Bendy Casimir, Francisco Rivera, Raphael Assuncao and Jonathan Brookins. None of those fighters, by the way, has better than a .500 record as featherweights in the WEC or UFC. The cherry on top is that Koch’s lone loss was to Chad Mendes (who, again, Aldo had beaten just months earlier).

Past Koch and Hioki, the title picture was comparably dismal, with a pileup of no-namers that included Dennis Siver, Diego Nunes, Ross Pearson and Eddie Yagin. None of these fighters had name value. None of these fighters had a winning streak.

Time passed, though, and crazy things have happened.

While people remain quite excited about Chan Sung Jung (though this writer remains skeptical), Cub Swanson has taken it upon himself to raise the finish rate of the featherweight division, rattling off back-to-back-to-back knockout victories. Ricardo Lamas is currently sitting on a three-fight winning streak, and has a “W” over both Swanson and Hioki.

More importantly, the UFC has finally begun attracting high-profile lightweights to drop a few extra pounds.

While there were a few early adapters, most famously Kenny Florian, there had been very few especially exciting additions to the division until the last month, which has seen Frankie Edgar and Clay Guida, two top-10 lightweights, drop to featherweight. That combination of new talent and rising stars offers great matchmaking opportunities and adds some serious star power to the division’s top 10.

The last few weeks have made a believer out of this writer.

Be excited, folks! The featherweight division is shaping up to be one of the best in the UFC.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Clay Guida to Drop to Featherweight, Expects Early 2013 Return

tk
(Careful Clay, all those fruity, sugary, woman drinks ironically go right to the hips.)

On the heels of a razor thin split decision loss to Gray Maynard at UFC on FX 4, his second loss to top tier competition in as many fights, it appears that everybody’s favorite energizer bunny/alcoholic, Clay Guida, will be dropping to featherweight for his next fight. Although no debut date or opponent have been decided as of this write up, Guida told MMAJunkie that he expects to make his featherweight debut sometime in early 2013.

Prior to his current two fight skid, Guida racked up four straight wins over such names as former PRIDE lightweight kingpin Takanori Gomi and former WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis among others, pulling in two Submission of the Night awards in the process and bringing his total award count to 7.

tk
(Careful Clay, all those fruity, sugary, woman drinks ironically go right to the hips.)

On the heels of a razor thin split decision loss to Gray Maynard at UFC on FX 4, his second loss to top tier competition in as many fights, it appears that everybody’s favorite energizer bunny/alcoholic, Clay Guida, will be dropping to featherweight for his next fight. Although no debut date or opponent have been decided as of this write up, Guida told MMAJunkie that he expects to make his featherweight debut sometime in early 2013.

Prior to his current two fight skid, Guida racked up four straight wins over such names as former PRIDE lightweight kingpin Takanori Gomi and former WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis among others, pulling in two Submission of the Night awards in the process and bringing his total award count to 7.

His most recent fight with Maynard was, at the risk of overusing the term, “Starnesian” to say the least — consisting of long periods of inactivity and avoidance (one which earned him a timidity warning from referee Dan Miragliotta) punctuated by the occasional combination — and was criticized by both the fans and Dana White, who declared the contest to be “a blowout for Maynard” and “not a fight” at all. Personally, I think Guida was simply protesting the decision that forced him to braid his hair, which was a goddamned travesty in every sense of the word. That being said, a good percentage of the viewing audience still scored the fight in favor of Guida, because denial is a powerful, powerful thing (insert vitriol filled “hack journalist”, “fool”, and “disgrace to MMA writers around the world” comments here). In either case, you have to imagine Guida will be looking to impress both the audience and his supreme overlord in his next bout.

Given that the featherweight division, not unlike most divisions, is still residing beneath an absent champion, Guida’s presence at 145 could cause a lot of waves in the title landscape. Now that Frankie Edgar has been left without a dance partner for his big debut, who would like to see him face Guida while Jose recovers from his joyriding accident?

–J. Jones