UFC Lightweight bout: Anthony Pettis vs. Clay Guida
Odds: (+190 Guida /-250 Pettis )
Betting Pick: Pettis
Bet on this fight at Bodog.com
In the main event of the evening, WEC standout Anthony “Showtime” Pettis finally makes his UFC debut against tough, aggressive wrestler Clay “The Carpenter” Guida. Pettis closed his WEC stint with a bang, manhandling highly regarded Benson Henderson and pasting him with one of the most spectacular kicks in the history of the sport following a highlight reel wall walk along the cage. Pettis is an extremely dynamic young fighter with explosive striking, great wrestling, and excellent submissions, but Guida’s aggressive style, relentless pace, and dominant wrestling have been known to create nightmares for opponents, so Pettis is going to have his hands full in his big show debut.
Anthony Pettis was one of WEC’s most exciting young Lightweight prospects, and he really came into his own in the last fight in the company. He came into his fight with Benson Henderson as an underdog despite an impressive win streak, but he easily neutralized Henderson’s wrestling and outstruck him in a very serious way. While he didn’t manage to finish Henderson, he put an exclamation mark on the fight by walking across the cage wall and landing a huge roundhouse kick that caught Bendo right in the face. What makes Pettis so dangerous is that he is physical, has great wrestling, and is a finisher both standing and on the ground. He has submissions from every position and knockout power with all four of his limbs. As long as he doesn’t get the big show jitters, he has the offensive tools to assert himself in UFC’s crowded Lightweight division immediately.
Clay “The Carpenter” Guida is one of UFC’s most recognizable Lightweights due to his long mane of wild hair and his hyper-aggressive sparkplug style. Guida’s wrestling is extremely solid, and he is very good at doling out punishment from top position. Probably his best attribute is his incredible cardiovascular conditioning, which allows him to keep up a relentless pace for the entire duration of his bouts. Guida’s ability to keep the pressure on and never stop moving forward has been known to throw his opponents off their game, which is a good thing since his offense is actually extremely one-dimensional. His boxing is suspect at best and he tends to telegraph his takedowns, which makes them easier to defend. He has been successful because he never tires out and eventually just wears his opponents down, which allows him to start scoring with his takedowns and bruising guys from top position.
This is a bad matchup for Guida, who has a hard time with superior strikers who have enough wrestling to negate his telegraphed takedown attempts. Pettis is easily the superior striker, and his wrestling and cardio are good enough to keep Guida from overwhelming him in a three-round fight. I think Guida is going to get manhandled on the feet, and his wrestling isn’t going to be good enough to prevent Pettis from boxing him around at will. Pettis by T/KO.
Prediction: Anthony “Showtime” Pettis via second round T/KO.
To add a little more excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bodog.com Odds. Check out my review of Bodog here…
