UFC
UFC on FX 4's Clay Guida - "I haven't proved anything in this sport yet"
Jun 8, 2012 - 2:00:19 PM UFC on FX 4's Clay Guida - "I haven't proved anything in this sport yet"

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Clay Guida is one of the many fighters in the lightweight division who have had a lot of success, only to fall short before reaching a fight for the UFC Lightweight Championship. Guida's four fight winning streak in 2010 and 2011, capped off by a win over debuting WEC Champ Anthony Pettis, earned him a number one contender fight against Ben Henderson last November.

Falling short in that fight, Guida's title hopes were put on the back burner as he attempts to climb back up the ladder. First up is a fight against former two-time title challenger Gray Maynard later this month at UFC on FX 4, and for Guida he's more than motivated to get past this challenge.

"It's just being hungry and knowing that I haven't proved anything to myself," Guida said in an interview with MMAFightCorner.com. "I haven't proved anything in this sport yet. I want that UFC belt. I can get all the bonuses I want. But, to me, when it comes down to it, and Stitch knows this, I have a desire to be the best. I have the desire and ambition to be a champion and no one's going to hold me from that.

"I don't care how long I'm doing this, I'm going to get that strap one day and I'm going to hold onto it for a long time... I'm just very excited about where I'm at in my career. I have five or six losses in the UFC and that doesn't sit well with me at night. I go home hungry and I wake up more ambitious with more desire and passion to improve."

As for the matchup itself, both fighters have gotten reputations for being boring fighters at times, yet both have also provided some thrilling matchups in the Octagon. Guida definitely sees this particular fight falling in the latter category.

"It's gonna be awesome," he said. "I tell the fans I and I keep saying it to interviewers... don't blink. Anytime Gray and I get in the cage, there's a possibility it gets Fight of the Night. It's gonna be all over the place. It's gonna be awesome."

Penick's Analysis: Guida's got a lot of the skills necessary to beat a lot of high end fighters, but what he lacks is a finishing ability against elite talent. He's stopped several fighters, but when he's faced elite competition, at best he's been able to eek out decision wins in some, while being defeated in others. Maynard represents another elite level opponent for him to face. He needs to win this fight, but more importantly, in order to move on towards a title shot, he needs to be winning more decisively against top level competition than he has in the past.