While Saturday’s UFC on Fox event has an epic main event in Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos, the co-main event also has Fight of the Year potential with two of the most relentless lightweights in the world collide in the form of Clay Guida and Ben…
While Saturday’s UFC on Fox event has an epic main event in Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos, the co-main event also has Fight of the Year potential with two of the most relentless lightweights in the world collide in the form of Clay Guida and Ben Henderson.
The biggest appeal of fighters like Guida and Henderson is that they are always coming forward, refusing to accept defeat, which almost always results in an entertaining fight.
This slideshow is a salute to the fighters who always push the pace and consistently entertain the fans.
Clay Guida has a lot to be confident about heading into this weekend. Guida will meet Benson Henderson on UFC on FOX, as both competitors are scheduled to face off on the undercard featured on Facebook and FOX.com.Although the main event has gener…
Clay Guida has a lot to be confident about heading into this weekend.
Guida will meet Benson Henderson on UFC on FOX, as both competitors are scheduled to face off on the undercard featured on Facebook and FOX.com.
Although the main event has generated a majority of the coverage, Guida’s lightweight bout against Henderson has also been gaining quite a bit coverage in its own right, and it remains as one of the most anticipated bouts of the event.
Guida appears to be in good spirits as he prepares to be a part of history this Saturday night and he is looking forward to walking away with a victory, which he credits to having a successful training camp.
“With every camp you become more confident in your skill-set, in your coaching and in your teammates,” Guida told MMA Heat reporter Karyn Bryant. “Since starting mixed martial arts, I expect to win.”
Guida’s last performance resulted in a win over Anthony Pettis, where he utilized his wrestling skills to prevent his opponent from gaining any offense on the feet. Guida said he intends on using his wrestling against Henderson, which he points out is the strongest base of MMA, whether fans find it boring or not.
“If you look at five out of seven weight classes, five of them are wrestlers, five of them have a wrestling background,” he said. “Wrestling wins championships.”
And with a victory over Henderson, Guida will have his sights set on winning the UFC lightweight championship
ROSEMEAD, Calif. — MMA Fighting spoke to Clay Guida on Thursday about Saturday night’s fight against Benson Henderson, being left out of Wednesday’s press conference, why he was simply happy to be there, his rise up the 155-pound ranks, where he thinks he is better than “Bendo,” and keeping his eye on the prize.
ROSEMEAD, Calif. — MMA Fighting spoke to Clay Guida on Thursday about Saturday night’s fight against Benson Henderson, being left out of Wednesday’s press conference, why he was simply happy to be there, his rise up the 155-pound ranks, where he thinks he is better than “Bendo,” and keeping his eye on the prize.
Ben Henderson sounds like he is expecting a comfortable win over his UFC on FOX opponent, Clay Guida. The co-main event of the UFC’s prime time debut is being promoted as a title eliminator bout to see who gets a crack at Frankie Edgar’s lightwei…
Ben Henderson sounds like he is expecting a comfortable win over his UFC on FOX opponent, Clay Guida.
The co-main event of the UFC’s prime time debut is being promoted as a title eliminator bout to see who gets a crack at Frankie Edgar’s lightweight title next.
Despite Guida looking like the best version of “The Carpenter” since joining Greg Jackson’s fight camp and sporting a four-fight winning streak, “Smooth” does not seem worried heading into Saturday’s fight.
“With Clay, I think I can do pretty much what I want to,” Henderson told USA Today.
“Bendo” went on to say that he feels he’s better than Guida in every area, including the wrestling department where Guida has shined the most recently.
“If he wants to stay standing, I can take him down or I can keep it standing, because I think I’m a better stand-up fighter than he is,” said Henderson, a former WEC lightweight champion.
“If he wants to take it the ground, I think I’m a better wrestler, I can avoid the takedown or if I want to take it to the ground, I can dictate where the fight takes place at,” he added.
Henderson’s resume backs up these claims, as he was a two-time NAIA All-American wrestler at Dana College, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Additionally, in 14 career wins, Henderson has 10 stoppages: eight submissions and two knockouts.
However, it would be remiss to count out Clay Guida, who has an iron chin, enough cardio to fight for days at a time and a solid grappling game in his own right.
Guida, a 40-fight veteran of the sport, is coming off arguably the biggest win of his career when he defeated a very game Anthony Pettis at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale in June.
Henderson’s only loss in his past 13 bouts has been a close loss to Pettis in December of 2010, where Pettis hit his famed “Showtime Kick” to solidify a victory late into the fight.
Also, don’t forget that Guida is a former champion in his own right: he held the Strikeforce lightweight title back in 2006.
Despite this match up being a potential Fight of the Year candidate, fans will have to watch this one on either Fox Deportes, FOX.com or the UFC’s official Facebook page.
Fox Deportes will also air the main event heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, as well as a featherweight battle between Dustin Poirer and Pablo Garza.
Strikeforce play-by-play commentator and MMA reporter Mauro Ranallo caught up with Dana White following yesterday’s UFC on FOX 1 press conference in Los Angeles and as usual, the always outspoken UFC president had a lot to say.
Check out the brass tacks of the interview after the jump.
(Video courtesy of TheScore)
Strikeforce play-by-play commentator and MMA reporter Mauro Ranallo caught up with Dana White following yesterday’s UFC on FOX 1 press conference in Los Angeles and as usual, the always outspoken UFC president had a lot to say.
Check out the brass tacks of the interview below.
• White says he’s always been the promoter who wanted to bring big fights like Velasquez-dos Santos to free television
• He’s nervous about Saturday and says he just wants to get the show behind him
• He isn’t worried about Velasquez’s injury hindering his performance
• Believes Cain is the best heavyweight in the world
• Assures fans that they will still be entertained by the broadcast if the fight only lasts a few seconds because they have “plenty of stuff” planned for the event
• Says that although there won’t be a “UFC 101″ primer for new fans like Strikeforce does with those creepy skinless 3-D models, there will be plenty of storytelling and explaining during the show
• Says that the broadcast will look different then the pay-per-views and it will have a FOX feel
• Although it was FOX’s idea to only have one fight on the broadcast, Dana says he agreed with the decision
• This show isn’t even a part of the FOX deal, which goes into effect in January
• The winner of Satuday night’s main event will fight the winner of Lesnar-Overeem
• Brock will be one of the analysts on the broadcast Saturday night
• Instead of a Q&A tomorrow prior to the weigh-ins, the UFC will instead do a press conference announcing Overeem vs. Lesnar
• Silva will be facing Sonnen next since it’s the fight that makes the most sense and the one that everyone wants to see
• Says he isn’t sure if the winner of Guida-Henderson will be next in line for a shot at Edgar
• Explains that Griffin’s comments about rape being “the new missionary” were not meant as a joke, but instead as a comment on the state of the world that rape has become such commonplace in the news that it’s becoming the norm
• Says Forrest chose the wrong platform and the wrong words and that he’s “busted up” over the misunderstanding
• Fox has never asked the UFC to censor itself or tone down some of its behavior
• Says that they just need to make some smarter decisions
• Expects a decision on the future of Strikeforce in the next week, but doesn’t know what will happen
Last Wednesday marked the official debut of Heart, a comic-book miniseries by writer Blair Butler and artist Kevin Mellon that follows an aimless office drone’s quest to discover his life’s purpose through MMA. I read the first issue last weekend and thought it was a great story, and another positive representation of the sport in entertainment culture. (See also: Warrior, Tiki Ghosn’s appearance on Blind Date.) So pick it up on your next trip to the comic shop, okay?
The four-issue series will be released monthly through February — and we can hook one of you up with the whole thing. To get it, you’ll have to accurately predict the results of UFC on FOX‘s featured fight this Saturday (heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez vs. #1 contender Junior Dos Santos), as well as the lightweight clash between Clay Guida and Ben Henderson that will be closing out the Facebook prelims. Submit your predictions for these two fights in the comments section below, including the winner’s name, the method of victory, and the time/round of stoppage, if any. Your entry should be in this format:
Last Wednesday marked the official debut of Heart, a comic-book miniseries by writer Blair Butler and artist Kevin Mellon that follows an aimless office drone’s quest to discover his life’s purpose through MMA. I read the first issue last weekend and thought it was a great story, and another positive representation of the sport in entertainment culture. (See also: Warrior, Tiki Ghosn’s appearance on Blind Date.) So pick it up on your next trip to the comic shop, okay?
The four-issue series will be released monthly through February — and we can hook one of you up with the whole thing. To get it, you’ll have to accurately predict the results of UFC on FOX‘s featured fight this Saturday (heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez vs. #1 contender Junior Dos Santos), as well as the lightweight clash between Clay Guida and Ben Henderson that will be closing out the Facebook prelims. Submit your predictions for these two fights in the comments section below, including the winner’s name, the method of victory, and the time/round of stoppage, if any. Your entry should be in this format:
Junior Dos Santos def. Cain Velasquez via TKO, 4:03 of round 4 Clay Guida def. Ben Henderson via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Please include the judges’ scores if you think a fight will end in a decision, in case we need them for a tie-breaker. The most accurate prediction wins the comics. Entries must be in by this Saturday at noon ET, and we’ll announce the winner on Monday; one entry per person, please. Any other questions, let us know. Good luck.
