Clay Guida never fails to bring infectious energy to the table.
The shaggy longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight has spent more than 15 years with the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, thrilling fans while often throwing caution to the wind at his own expense. Guida, now 40, carries a 17-16 record across 33 appearances inside the Octagon. He last competed at UFC Fight Night 205, where he surrendered to a Claudio Puelles kneebar in the first round of their April 23 pairing.
As Guida awaits word on his next assignment, here are five things you might not know about him:
1. He lived the American Dream.
Guida was born in Round Lake, Illinois, a Chicago suburb of nearly 20,000 people. He later attended Johnsburg High School in a neighboring county, played three sports and went on to wrestle at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, where he was part of a national championship for the Hawks.
2. His arrival can be described as fortuitous.
“The Carpenter” made his professional mixed martial arts debut on a whim—Guida accepted the match with no formal MMA training under his belt—when he was 21 years old, submitting to a rear-naked choke from Adam Copenhaver in the first round of their Silverback Classic 17 pairing in 2003. Guida lost two of his first three bouts and went a pedestrian 3-3 through his first six appearances before a 15-fight winning streak put him on the map.
3. He scores points with originality.
Guida was the first lightweight champion in the history of the Strikeforce organization. He laid claim to the title with a unanimous decision over Josh Thomson on March 10, 2006, then surrendered it to Gilbert Melendez in a split decision defeat on June 9, 2006. Guida’s reign covered just 91 days.
4. He maximizes his earning potential.
The onetime Strikeforce champion has earned 10 post-fight bonuses across his 33 appearances in the UFC. Guida has been awarded “Fight of the Night” on six occasions, “Submission of the Night” three times and “Performance of the Night” once, resulting in close to $500,000 of additional income.
5. Preparation has long been a strength.
Guida once operated out of the Jackson-Wink MMA academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he sharpened his skills under the direction of revered trainers Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn. He has since thrown out his anchor at the famed Team Alpha Male gym founded by former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Urijah Faber in Sacramento, California.
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