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Clay Guida thinking about fresh start, not title picture

UFC on FOX 6's Clay Guida thinking about fresh start, not title picture | News

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"So far, it hasn't been a weight cut," he on Wednesday told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps) following a workout in Chicago. "To me, cutting weight is sucking those last 10 pounds off."

After seven years in the UFC as a lightweight, Guida makes his debut at 145 pounds when he fights on the FX-televised prelims of UFC on FOX 6, which takes place Saturday at Chicago's United Center.

Several times, Guida (29-13 MMA, 9-7 UFC) heard suggestions that he'd be more competitive at a lighter weight. But recently getting a look at his next opponent, top-ranked competitor Hatsu Hioki (26-5-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), he's not so sure that's true.

"I'm still not one of the biggest at 145," Guida said. "You see the guy I'm fighting is probably the biggest, right?"

But where he can't see a physical advantage, there's one thing he can't deny the featherweight division offers: a fresh start.

"You're going to see a more energetic Clay Guida," he said. "I believe I am one of the most improved lightweights and soon-to-be-featherweights in the UFC."

As a lightweight, Guida's competitive spirit always outweighed his natural frame. While not always successful, he consistently gave heavier opponents a run for their money with a boundlessly energetic style.

But after his most recent performance, a widely panned decision loss to Gray Maynard at UFC on FX 4, Guida decided it was finally time to give the division a chance.

Guida still believes he won the Maynard fight, which might have put him back within reach of a lightweight title shot. But he wasn't demoralized by the criticism he faced afterward, and marched ahead with a new diet that helped him shed pounds.

"If I was hanging my head, I wouldn't be here right now," he said. "You've got to pick up the pieces and move on. That's not how I've come this far, and it's not what's going to get me to the featherweight title."

After pressing through a training camp with several teammates who also are fighting on Saturday's card, Guida feels like he's coming into the cage a new man.

"Yesterday when I was getting my morning workouts, getting ready to get on the plane, I had that feeling like I did [seven] years ago when I fought in my UFC debut against Justin James," he said. "It was a good feeling."

But he plans to make Hioki pay for his learning experience against Maynard.

At the moment, earning another title shot is not Guida's concern. After falling short against now-lightweight champ Benson Henderson in a title eliminator and being outpointed by Maynard, he makes no predictions as to when he'll be eligible for another shot at a belt.

There are weightier concerns at the moment.

"I'm focused on my first victory at 145," Guida said.

Is anyone else sick and tired of this guy laying on people and not doing shit? All his fights are so boring and predictable. In the second and third round he just laid on him and threw VERY few punches. Does he ever plan on fighting anyone or is he just going to leg hump his way to a title fight?

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Originally Posted by bluerinosg (Post 1002527)

I know exactly what you mean. I've never been a fan of Guida because of that exact reason. I feel that he takes you down and barely throws any punches. I usually don't complain about wrestlers laying and praying but this guy just hyper humps his way to victory.

19 of Clays 30 wins are finishes. And Clay has been in some seriously exciting fights. Hell he just had an amazing fight against Bendo 2 fights ago! He finished Gomi, Dos Anjos, and Gugerty before that.

His fights with Sanchez, Huerta, and Griffin were all fight of the nights....that he lost. Clay has won 5 FOTN awards, yet has only won 1 of those fights. Maybe the guy just wants to win? Who knows.

He also was awarded FOTY twice by major MMA publications.

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Originally Posted by Sakara=Excitement (Post 1002537)

Biased on my part because I was being selective on his fights. The main ones I was thinking about were Mac Danzig, Nate Diaz, Diego Sanchez, Anthony Pettis and Hatsu Hioki. He won 4 of those by just looking busy in my opinion and almost stole a decision from Diego for the same reason. The reason the Diego fight was exciting was because of Diego's skill and Clay's heart. Diego was destroying him in the first round and Clay kept coming. Clay was getting brutalized with elbows from Diego from the bottom in the 2nd and 3rd. The Ben Henderson was another display of Clay getting punished and showing heart. I feel that most of his fights where he gets FOTN is based on the same thing: Clay's takedowns, coming forward, and heart versus the other fighter showing actual technique and a skillset.

I actually thought he changed his style after the Florian loss because he went and finished fights, and I changed my mind about him but then the Pettis and Hioki fight showed me otherwise.

I don't include the Gray Maynard fight because it's an anomaly. He fought very differently and got boo'ed for it but that's not how he usually fights.

The Nate Diaz fight was FOTN as well, the only FOTN he won.

Guida was constantly trying to pass guard against Hioki, Hioki is just a beast off his back. Clay actually got Pettis back at one point and worked for a few submissions.

Clay is trying to advance position and due to his recent submissions, if he was able to pass guard, he may pull it off. He's just always fighting the best of the best, most who are better than Clay technically.

I used to be a fan, just because of the heart he shows in his fights, but just got totally fed up in some of his fights.

So I pretty much skip every Guida fight nowadays, just because I hate his lay&pray dry humping and the endless bouncing around that leads to nothing except him eating few shots or the other guy taken down.

I'll always be a fan after that Tyson Griffin fight.

I've watched the Huerta and Sanchez fights multiple times, and honestly to me it looks like those fights are more a product of Sanchez and Huerta constantly going for things and Guida just kind of going along for the ride... His combination of high cardio, low technical ability, durability and also his ability to make it look like he's being super active when he's really not doing to much all really made him the perfect opponent.

Damn the dr. Beat me to it... And put it way better lol! But that's what I was trying to say

Yeah, Guida is usually hit or miss. His fights with Griffin (which he should have won), Huerta, Sanchez, Gomi, and Henderson were all pretty great. His fight with Melendez in his earlier days was pretty good too.

But then there's the fights where he pretty much does nothing but take his opponent down and hug them. Part of me kind of gives him a free pass to an extent, though, being shorter and smaller than most guys...and I have seen him dish it out and take it and keep coming quite a few times. But the more I see a potential great fight ruined by his Lay N Pray antics the less leeway I give him. lol. As long as there is an awesome fight sandwiched in between these boring fights every now and then I guess I won't mind too much. I just hope people put as little of stock as I do in his victories and his opponents' defeats when he wins like that...because it's nowhere near as impressive as a legit ass beating/finish.