Clay Guida

I’m amazed that there are fans saying Clay Guida should have won the fight, as Gray Maynard was unable to land any devastating shots on the Greg Jackson-trained fighter.  Instead, most of the fight featured Guida circling and backing up, avoiding direct striking exchanges with Maynard throughout the 25-minute fight.

I think Maynard could have done more to try and cut off angles, but he clearly wasn’t expecting Guida to avoid exchanging strikes as much as he did.

Don’t get me wrong: There were times during the fight where Guida and Maynard stood in the pocket and banged it out.  However, I understand why Maynard was swearing in-cage towards Guida out of pure frustration, because that was a horrible fight.

I respect Maynard for not only winning over new fans, but admitting that the fight was frustrating – and even putting his hands down to let Guida hit him several times flush in the face.

What next for Maynard?  Since Nate Diaz is reportedly waiting to face the winner of the Benson Henderson vs. Frankie rematch, Maynard could be matched up against Donald Cerrone if he wants to stay active.  However, that seems like it’d be a step back in competition, and Maynard may try and sit out until he’s given an opportunity to compete for the title.

Guida is the ultimate lightweight gatekeeper, and he’ll be able to bounce back from this embarrassing loss.  The MMA fanbase is so fickle, eager to jump on the bandwagon, however moving faster to abandon a fighter when something goes awry.  UFC President Dana White will also have some works with Guida, trying to figure out what happened during last night’s main event fight.