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BENT: Previewing The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale - Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida
Jun 16, 2009 - 4:25:06 PM BENT: Previewing The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale - Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida

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Season nine of 'The Ultimate Fighter' is coming to it's end, and with it brings the finale which will determine which of the welterweight and lightweight fighters will join the UFC roster as recipients of the "six figure contract." This season has not been one of the best seasons in terms of talent, but then again it rings certain that no season will ever come close to matching season one with its lineup of top UFC fighters. However, this has been a season which has featured more fights than hijinks, and that alone rates this one better than most. Will this be a season I would purchase on DVD? No. Could we see at least one star emerge from this group? Yes, but this is obviously no guarantee.

In a way, 'TUF' is similar to 'American Idol,' in that as soon as one season ends the attention becomes less focused on last season's winner but rather next season's show. The show is the star, and we are just hopeful that at least one fighter can make an impact on their respective weight classes when all is said and done.

Diego Sanchez was the middleweight winner of season one of 'The Ultimate Fighter' who went on to compete in the welterweight division, but now he is battling it out at 155 lbs. and looking to find a way to earn championship gold. He was successful in his first bout at the new weight in what was a truly captivating fight against Joe Stevenson in February, a fight he won by way of unanimous decision. Including his victory over Kenny Florian at the very first finale, this bout against Guida on Saturday will be the fourth time that Sanchez has fought on a 'TUF' finale event. His record when fighting on these cards is a sterling 3-0, with those wins coming against the aforementioned Kenny Florian, Nick Diaz and Luigi Fioravanti. Obviously Fioravanti stands out like a sore thumb when compared to Diaz and Florian, but he wasn't exactly a slouch of an opponent. However, the quality of opponent goes up exponentially when Diaz meets Clay Guida on Saturday night in what should be a thrilling battle.

Clay Guida has also made quite a mark for himself as a featured fighter on numerous 'UFC Fight Night' and 'The Ultimate Fighter Finale' cards in the past. He is most recently coming off of a split decision over Nate Diaz on the UFC 94 card and steps back in there against a fighter who is likely to pose even more of a threat in Sanchez. Guida is known for his long locks, his short frame and his endless supply of energy, but one of the knocks against him has been his propensity for simply controlling his foes and neutralizing them rather than showing off any offense. This is something which will have to change against Sanchez, and when the smoke clears after what should be a ferocious battle, it is likely that we will have the next contender for the UFC Lightweight Championship once B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian square off in August.

Diego Sanchez boasts a career record of 20 wins against just 2 losses, with 6 of those wins coming by way of KO and 9 by submission. Over the course of his career, Sanchez boasts victories over such notables as Karo Parisyan and Joe Riggs along with the aforementioned Stevenson, Diaz and Florian victories. His two losses have come at the hands of Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck, which means that so far, only fighters from the American Kickboxing Academy have been able to defeat him. While this is more interesting from a trivia standpoint, it is somewhat interesting since he faced both fighters in back to back bouts at UFC 69 and 76 respectively. Sanchez will be looking for his 21st win overall and second in the lightweight division on Saturday when he takes on Clay Guida.

Clay Guida's career record stands at 25 wins against 9 losses, with 4 of his wins coming by way of KO and 12 by submission. Notable fighters Guida holds a victory over include Josh Thomson, Marcus Aurelio, Mac Danzig and Nate Diaz. Those who have defeated "The Carpenter" include Gilbert Melendez, Din Thomas, Tyson Griffin and Roger Huerta. This will be Guida's second time fighting on 'The Ultimate Fighter Finale,' and for those keeping score at home he is 0-1 on these cards with a loss to the aforementioned Huerta. He will be looking to even things up and get a leg up on potentially the rest of the division when he meets "The Nightmare" on Saturday night. Knowing Guida's love of the nightlife it is a sure bet that he will be hoisting drinks and nailing a variety of honeys once all is said and done, but he will first have to focus his energies on hammering Sanchez into submission, and that one is much easier said than done.

Bent's Prediction: Diego Sanchez by 2nd Round TKO

We are going to get one hell of a fight for the first round but after that it will be all Sanchez en route to an explosive ground and pound victory. Guida is tough to deal with for most fighters due to his excellent wrestling base and aggression, but in Sanchez he is facing a fighter who can not only match his strengths but best him in each category. Diego Sanchez is much, much better in terms of striking, has a better submission game and is the bigger and stronger fighter. I look for Guida to be able to hang thanks to his heart, but once he gets frustrated at his inability to take Sanchez down it will only be a matter of time before he gets pounded into submission and suffers the same fate of nearly every fighter who faces Sanchez.

The only hope for Guida is if he were to somehow change camps and head over to the American Kickboxing Academy, but anything less than an "S" on his chest will not be enough to get the "W" over "The Nightmare" on Saturday night, live on Spike TV.