And so, Big Country snaps a two-fight losing streak, and claims his seventh knockout victory in the UFC. Meanwhile, Nogueira has lost four out of his last six fights, and public calls for his retirement will surely pop again. (We’d support that, by the way.)
Check out full results from UFC Fight Night Abu Dhabi after the jump. If you watched the event on Fight Pass, please share your thoughts in the comments section.
And so, Big Country snaps a two-fight losing streak, and claims his seventh knockout victory in the UFC. Meanwhile, Nogueira has lost four out of his last six fights, and public calls for his retirement will surely pop again. (We’d support that, by the way.)
Check out full results from UFC Fight Night Abu Dhabi after the jump. If you watched the event on Fight Pass, please share your thoughts in the comments section.
Main Card
Roy Nelson def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via KO, 3:37 of round 1
Clay Guida def. Tatsuya Kawajiri via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Ryan LaFlare def. John Howard via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Ramsey Nijem def. Beneil Dariush via TKO, 4:20 of round 1
Preliminary Card
Jared Rosholt def. Daniel Omielanczuk via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Thales Leites def. Trevor Smith via TKO, 0:45 of round 1
Jim Alers def. Alan Omer via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
Johnny Bedford vs. Rani Yahya ruled No Contest (Yahya was KO’d by accidental headbutt) at 0:39 of round 1
Clay Guida, ranked No. 9 in the featherweight division, defeated No. 12-ranked Tatsuya Kawajiri by unanimous decision on Friday at UFC Fight Night 39.
Guida was able to outpace and grind on Kawajiri for all three rou…
Clay Guida, ranked No. 9 in the featherweight division, defeated No. 12-ranked Tatsuya Kawajiri by unanimous decision on Friday at UFC Fight Night 39.
Guida was able to outpace and grind on Kawajiri for all three rounds.
The Japanese fighter was competitive in the fight, but Guida simply had the answers. Kawajiri forced Guida to be on his toes with constant threats in the submission department. The bout featured numerous fun scrambles.
In the end, Guida was too much for Kawajiri on Friday. It was a much-needed victory for “The Carpenter.”
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
The first round.
It was incredibly fun and filled with action. Guida put forth a more vintage performance with a lot of energy. He even dropped Kawajiri with a vicious punch.
Kawajiri was not finished, though, and he tried to get back in the fight with submission attempts. The two got involved in many scrambles.
After the first frame, the fight never regained the fun of the initial round. Instead, Guida did what he does best. That is why we will ultimately forget about the final 10 minutes and remember the action of the first five minutes.
Guida recaptured some of his past magic with a stellar performance for 15 minutes. He was full of energy and action. While he resorted to some of his classic grinding, he was not bounding around and failing to throw strikes.
He returned to what made him a lightweight contender, and his skill set should make him an interesting featherweight to watch moving forward.
What We Learned About Tatsuya Kawajiri
He will not be a contender in the UFC.
Kawajiri looked slow and, quite frankly, old in this fight. That will not get it done in the UFC’s featherweight division.
Guida took him down and outpaced him. The younger featherweights will be able to do the same against Kawajiri. It is a deep division with a lot of quick wrestlers, and he did not show the ability to compete against the cream of the crop.
With that said, he is still valuable for the UFC and the division. His name value will still be strong in the Asian markets, and he can be a gatekeeper for future 145-pound contenders.
What’s Next for Clay Guida
Guida called out Conor McGregor, and that fight makes a lot of sense.
McGregor is sidelined with an injury, but since Guida just fought, he can wait until the Irishman is set to return.
It would be a very good featherweight clash, with the winner being one win away from a title shot.
Champion Jose Aldo needs new names to challenge him, and this fight would set the winner up for just that opportunity.
What’s Next for Tatsuya Kawajiri
The UFC could put any potential contender in the division against Kawajiri.
Matchmakers would have to identify whom they think is ready for the jump into Top 15 competition. Once they identify that fighter, they can sign the bout for a fight card in Asia. Kawajiri would bolster the hype of the card and test his opponent.
His relevance in the division took a big hit with this loss, so it is time to try and build a future contender off his name.
The removal of Craig vs. Camozzi means that the Abu Dhabi card will only feature eight matches, making it the briefest UFC card since…well look, I’m not going to burn 15 minutes on Wikipedia trying to find the answer to that, but it’s been a while.
The removal of Craig vs. Camozzi means that the Abu Dhabi card will only feature eight matches, making it the briefest UFC card since…well look, I’m not going to burn 15 minutes on Wikipedia trying to find the answer to that, but it’s been a while.
Main Card (Fight Pass, 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT)
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (238) vs. Roy Nelson (255.5) Clay Guida (146) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (145)
John Howard (171) vs. Ryan LaFlare (171)
Ramsey Nijem (156) vs. Beneil Dariush (155)
Preliminary Card (Fight Pass, 11:50 a.m. ET/8:50 a.m. PT)
Jared Rosholt (240) vs. Daniel Omielanczuk (248)
Thales Leites (185) vs. Trevor Smith (186)
Alan Omer (146) vs. Jim Alers (145.5)
Rani Yahya (135.5) vs. Johnny Bedford (135)
The UFC returns to Abu Dhabi this week for the first time since Frankie Edgar’s improbable 2011 lightweight title win, offering up a card headlined by two solid heavyweight veterans for its Fight Pass audience.
In the main event Roy Nelson will attempt…
The UFC returns to Abu Dhabi this week for the first time since Frankie Edgar’s improbable 2011 lightweight title win, offering up a card headlined by two solid heavyweight veterans for its Fight Pass audience.
In the main event Roy Nelson will attempt to derail the great Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a bout between two of the toughest, most durable athletes MMA has ever seen, while Tatsuya Kawajiri and Clay Guida will lock horns in the co-main event.
As with any UFC event there are stakes for those entering the Octagon, and Fight Night 39 is no different. Here are a few guys who stand to gain the most with a good showing in the desert.
Tatsuya Kawajiri has seen a lot during his MMA career, and not just in a “he’s been around a long time” sense.
Since 2001, Kawajiri has twice seen lighter weight classes nearly die out only to roar back to the forefront of the sport. He has seen Japane…
TatsuyaKawajiri has seen a lot during his MMA career, and not just in a “he’s been around a long time” sense.
Since 2001, Kawajiri has twice seen lighter weight classes nearly die out only to roar back to the forefront of the sport. He has seen Japanese MMA rise to the top and fall by the wayside. He has risked life and limb for a few hundred fans at a local hall, and in front of thousands at the Saitama Super Arena.
Only recently has he seen what it is like to fight in the UFC, but it’s something he’s enjoying so far. A veteran of MMA organizations Shooto, Pride, Dream, Strikeforce and One, Kawajiri‘s UFC debut was a long time coming, but it is where he belongs.
“I saw K-1 fights at the Tokyo Dome,” he told Bleacher Report. “That inspired me to go into martial arts…I went to this kickboxing gym in my home state first and HayatoSakurai was there and told me to come check out his fights. So I bought a ticket to see a fight between Sakurai and JutaroNakao…when I heard the sound of the ground and pound I realized maybe I should go into MMA.”
Around the time Kawajiri was preparing for his MMA debut with Shooto, a major shakeup was occurring in the sport. The UFC, the biggest MMA promotion in the United States, was sticking a toe into fights at 155 pounds, a weight class previously exclusive to Japan.
When Kawajiri started training to begin his MMA career, the UFC exclusively featured heavyweight and light-heavyweight weight classes. As they expanded into lower weight classes, though, they scooped up Shooto‘s 154-pound champion, CaolUno.
“When Uno and Jens Pulver did that title match, I started to recognize the UFC as the biggest competitor in America,” he said. “Even though I was fighting in Japan, and for fighters in that country, the UFC was always a big competitor…a rival.”
Kawajiri, in time, would win the Shooto 154-pound title. While that was a huge accomplishment, MMA’s terrain had changed by the time he reached that summit.
“When I began doing MMA, I definitely felt, for the light weight classes, Shooto was the best place in the world…but by the time I became Shooto world champion, Pride began…so I couldn’t be called the best in the world fighting there.”
Kawajiri moved on to become a steady presence on Pride’s Bushido cards, and it was there he became an identifiable name with many mixed martial arts fans. He won over the masses with one fight, which he is quick to label as his his proudest moment.
“I feel the fight between me and TakanoriGomi established a place in the sport for lighter weight classes. That got the fans’ attention to the lighter weight classes. Even though I lost, I am so glad to have been a part of that fight.”
Pride would eventually be absorbed by the UFC, but Kawajiri wouldn’t make the leap to the UFC along with Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. From there, he would become one of Dream’s top fighters. After the Pride successor closed shop, he would finally make his way to the UFC.
He made his debut at UFC Fight Night 34, demolishing fellow newcomer Sean Soriano. The dominant win and name value quickly moved Kawajiri up in the UFC rankings, but he is in prime position to jump into the title picture with a win if he can beat Clay Guida at UFC Fight Night 39.
“I am at my best now in every way: striking, grappling, physically…I am looking at myself as a 35-year-old man who is in here and still surviving,” he said. “This is my last chance…the UFC is the most suitable place for me to pursue my dream.”
His dream, naturally, is the UFC belt, and he is looking to keep moving toward that goal Friday, and to continue expanding his fanbase by popping the former top-10 lightweight.
“Clay Guida is ranked ninth in the rankings and is very, very famous and well-established. I will surprise anyone…who doesn’t know about me.”
We’ll see if Kawajiri can add another big name to his lengthy resume, and if he can indeed vault into the thick of UFC title contention.
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing MMA fans that Clay Guida is exciting. He’s known for his energetic entrances, where he bounces up and down like a jackrabbit, lip-syncing to his walkout music, before getting slapped around by his brother prior to entering the cage. Unfortunately, the moment the bell rings that energy doesn’t equate to active, or exciting, fighting, which is a little misleading if you ask me. This Friday, April 11th, Guida takes on Japanese veteran Tatsuya Kawajiri in the UFC’s return to Abu Dhabi at UFC Fight Night 39: Nogueira vs. Nelson, and he’s going to need a lot more than an exciting entrance to escape the cage victorious against his tough foe.
Kawajiri will be making his second UFC appearance and, for some reason, is stuck once again on a Fight Pass card where his name isn’t even on the poster. (Not that he’d want to be associated with this train-wreck.) I’m assuming the promotion is paying him more than their standard entry-level pay, which begs the question, why isn’t the UFC promoting “The Crusher” heavier? Maybe a win against Guida will convince the UFC to finally introduce him to an American audience for his next fight.
To earn the victory, Kawajiri is going to have to keep Guida on the outside, where the American won’t be able to use the cage to slow down the action. The more minutes spent disengaged from any sort of grappling affair — either clinched up against the fence or on the ground — will favor the Japanese fighter. “Crusher” is going to need to circle, and spend some extra energy to fight out of the clinch and away from the cage. But in doing so, he risks overexerting himself and fatiguing those bulbous muscles attached to his small frame, which could be problematic in the later rounds as Kawajiri isn’t particularly known for having iron lungs. Although Guida doesn’t really do much with his famous cardio besides hop around and hug people very tightly, that’s not to say he isn’t capable of pushing the pace if needed — and we rarely see the man sleepy at the end of a fight.
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing MMA fans that Clay Guida is exciting. He’s known for his energetic entrances, where he bounces up and down like a jackrabbit, lip-syncing to his walkout music, before getting slapped around by his brother prior to entering the cage. Unfortunately, the moment the bell rings that energy doesn’t equate to active, or exciting, fighting, which is a little misleading if you ask me. This Friday, April 11th, Guida takes on Japanese veteran Tatsuya Kawajiri in the UFC’s return to Abu Dhabi at UFC Fight Night 39: Nogueira vs. Nelson, and he’s going to need a lot more than an exciting entrance to escape the cage victorious against his tough foe.
Kawajiri will be making his second UFC appearance and, for some reason, is stuck once again on a Fight Pass card where his name isn’t even on the poster. (Not that he’d want to be associated with this train-wreck.) I’m assuming the promotion is paying him more than their standard entry-level pay, which begs the question, why isn’t the UFC promoting “The Crusher” heavier? Maybe a win against Guida will convince the UFC to finally introduce him to an American audience for his next fight.
To earn the victory, Kawajiri is going to have to keep Guida on the outside, where the American won’t be able to use the cage to slow down the action. The more minutes spent disengaged from any sort of grappling affair — either clinched up against the fence or on the ground — will favor the Japanese fighter. “Crusher” is going to need to circle, and spend some extra energy to fight out of the clinch and away from the cage. But in doing so, he risks overexerting himself and fatiguing those bulbous muscles attached to his small frame, which could be problematic in the later rounds as Kawajiri isn’t particularly known for having iron lungs. Although Guida doesn’t really do much with his famous cardio besides hop around and hug people very tightly, that’s not to say he isn’t capable of pushing the pace if needed — and we rarely see the man sleepy at the end of a fight.
If I knew a lick of Japanese, and was in “Crusher’s” corner before the fight and in between rounds I would tell him to use his feints and level changes to get Guida to shoot and try to time his upper-cut to Guida’s large head. Then, with a horrible accent, I would politely explain the next step: Fight hard to stay off the fence and wriggle away from the clinch at all costs. In order to conserve his energy, he should take his time after the grappling exchanges to move away from Guida, dance around the cage, and get oxygen back into his muscles so he can rinse and repeat.
As for Guida, he’s coming off of a loss to Chad Mendes, who is well on his way to another title shot in the near future, pending he doesn’t slip on a banana peel in aisle seven of Ralph’s grocery store. Guida hasn’t looked spectacular in his recent outings, but that could very well be more due to the elite level of competition he’s faced lately rather than his own performances. A loss here could really put him in line for being cut from the UFC roster based on their recent slashing of fighters, and would make him 1-4 in his last five outings. The good news: he has a winnable fight in front of him.
As mentioned earlier, the most exciting thing about a Guida fight is his entrance, but that is certainly due to his fighting style as opposed to his fighting ability. He tries to “win” fights, not finish fights. But, if he wants to see another number on the only column that counts, he better put that gas tank to use and keep the scrambles coming again and again. Guida has an underrated ground game and is great in transitions, where he regularly finds his way in top position when the dust settles, scoring him points. The problem he usually faces there is that he’s not known to take advantage of those top positions and inflict significant damage.
If he intends to beat Kawajiri, he’d better make the Japanese fighter pay whenever he finds himself on top. But taking down Kawajiri is not an easy task. If Guida is hoping to drag the fight to the mat, as I’m assuming will be his game plan — unless he plans on failing at life by trying to mimic his performance against Gray Maynard — he’s going to need to use a lot of level changes and feints to get Kawajiri off balance and guessing. If he can get Kawajiri off balance before initiating a committed takedown and scrambling incessantly after the first attempt is stuffed, he may be able to wear the Japanese fighter down and out-position him.
At the end of the day it’s going to come down to whether Kawajiri can keep enough separation to out strike Guida on the feet, or put the caveman on his back and ground and pound. Or will Guida be able to adequately move his hair in a frantic manner and pressure Kawajiri enough for the judges to be convinced he’s exciting and deserving of the win? Related question: Considering how badly things turned out in Abu Dhabi four years ago, is it wise to book a potential snore-fest for this card’s co-main event?
