Clay Guida is always ready for a war.
"The Carpenter" has been in not just "Fight of the Night" performances, but Fight of the Year winners in his last two appearances on The Ultimate Fighter finales.
He'll be looking to keep that streak alive, but reverse the trend of losing in glorious fashion as he takes on Anthony Pettis in The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 13 Finale tomorrow night (June 4, 2011).
Pettis is entering the bout with the momentum and a possible title shot on the line, but Guida has won three in a row and he's looking to steal "Showtime's" thunder.
"The Carpenter" was a guest on Pro MMA Radio this week and he discussed his upcoming fight, his past performances and his relentless will to win.
Find out just how much Clay feels his heart will be a factor against Pettis:
Pro MMA Radio: The win over Gomi, you talked about the movement in that fight like the Funky Chicken. Was that planned or was that in the moment and is that something that Pettis can expect to see?
Clay Guida: Yeah, that was in the moment. It was one of those things, I was asking my training partners, "do you remember me doing that stuff in practice?" and they were like "nooooo." I move a lot in practice but it was more something I did on the fly. That's something that marks a successful pro fighter. Someone that can shift and adapt on the fly, kinda like Randy Couture going against strikers, he was able to clinch them up and change his gameplan accordingly. That was one of those things. If Gomi started swinging for the fences, I didn't want to be on that fence. I just kept my head out of the way and my body followed ... It was one of those things, I could see the confusion in his eyes and we just stuck with it and kept him guessing the entire time.
Pro MMA Radio: You get the call for Pettis once he decides that he's not going to wait for the winner of Edgar-Maynard. Were you surprised when you got that phone call?
Clay Guida: Not one bit. We thought it was a good fight for us and we respect the fact that Anthony took the fight because he could have waited it out. Now it's looking to be another six months or something against maybe a different champ or Frankie retains the belt. Anthony's not a guy who wants to sit and wait around. He's won five straight fights and they've been very impressive with submissions or fight of the night. He's a momentum fighter and I respect the fact that he accepted the fight and it's a step up in competition for both of us.
Pro MMA Radio: I did see an interview with you where you said "Showtime will be 'No-time'" when you guys fight. When you size Anthony up, tell me where the concerns are for you and where you feel comfortable because he is well-rounded, a very good striker and he is good off his back which is where I assume, knowing your past fights, you want to put him.
Clay Guida: Yeah, it's one of those fights. You put two exciting fighters together and it's a knock-'em-down, drag-'em-out type of fight. Everyone talks about Fight of the Night or Fight of the Year but I don't think about that. That just happens. I just go out there and implement my gameplan which is to go out there, throw caution to the win and attack this guy from bell to bell. You've seen him pressured before and he adapts well to it. We're gonna come gung-ho. He's a very technical striker, he's a kickboxer, he's got a karate, taekwondo-style background. He's been working his jiu-jitsu and you've seen that with his submissions. He's been training with some good wrestlers, things like that. I think experience will play a lot in this fight. I've had several more fights than him but he's got a lot of momentum as well. He's got that WEC lightweight championship,that Fight of the Year and I've got experience on my side. I've been through the grind, I've been through the fire, I've been through hell and back in my fights and I think that'll play a huge part in it.
Pro MMA Radio: I think we talked one time and you said in the past that sometimes you were too focused on what the other guy was gonna do.
Clay Guida: Yep. If you see my past fights, I'd just go out there and dictate everything. My striking wasn't good but I'd do it just enough to get the guy on his back. For a while there, Diego and Kenny Florian fights were perfect examples of that. I let Diego get the best of me for the first minute of that fight and then I implemented my gameplan. Kenny Florian, I came out there for a little while and I just stood there and was a target for him. I think Kenny Florian put me in my place and I'm back to the Guida of old and that's just punishing guys on their back. We'll see what happens on the 4th.
Pro MMA Radio: What do you think Ben did wrong against Anthony?
Clay Guida: I think he respected him too much. I don't think he used his proper ground game or the wrestling that he was accustomed to. He felt a little bit threatened that Pettis was gonna stand up and who knows, maybe the pressure got to him in his hometown.
Pro MMA Radio: Mike Winklejohn said that Anthony has a lot of heart and a lot of athletic ability but it's no match for your heart. Talk about that.
Clay Guida: I think coach summed it up. It's a different animal. It's one of those things. You can beat me over the head with a baseball bat. Yeah it's probably gonna hurt but I'm gonna come back and try to rip that bat out of your hands and make it a fair fight. I just never quit. I can't spell quit. There is no "can't" in my vocabulary. I might not be the prettiest fighter, I might not be the most technical but when we go out there, the fans win every time. I'm all about having fun and getting my hand raised. Heart is something you can't teach. It's just relentless. It's a reckless abandon with my pace and it just never stops ... Most of opponents are more technical than me but when I win rounds and drag them into deep waters, that's where a champion is made. That's where you see what a true fighter is made of.
Pro MMA Radio: This is your third time fighting at an Ultimate Fighter finale, it's your third time fighting at The Palms and you gave us some great fights against Roger Huerta and Diego Sanchez before but you lost them. Is the third time the charm for you here?
Clay Guida: The old must go. Kick those skeletons out of that stadium, man. I've had great fights there but I've come up a little bit short both times ... Not only am I gonna get a win, but I'm gonna get a win in a place I've struggled in.
Pro MMA Radio: Before we let you go, what's the prediction for the fight with Anthony Pettis on June 4th?
Clay Guida: I'm not much for predictions but my hand will be raised. It'll be another amazing fight and I'll be one step closer my goal, my dream, the lightweight title belt.
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