Clay Guida may be getting shafted a bit by it being made clear that his fight with Ben Henderson is not going to make the Fox TV broadcast no matter how quickly the bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos ends, but that isn’t keeping him down. Guida knows that the Henderson fight is a huge moment in his career and he seems ready to pounce.
In a recent interview with Lowkick.com, Guida made it clear that he has no plans to take Henderson lightly, and thinks a win means big things for his future:
Since coming over from the WEC, Henderson has went 2-0, defeating two top contenders in Jim Miller and Mark Bocek. Are you surprised by the level of success he’s found in such a short period of time? And what, if anything, do you feel Miller and/or Bocek could have done differently to change the outcome of those fights?
Ben is obviously a gamer, he always comes to fight and fight hard. From what I know, he is a real good dude and respectful, so add that to an intense work ethic and that’s a great recipe for success. As for the other guys, I’m sure they can tell you what they feel they should have done, that’s not really something I focus on.
…[Anthony Pettis] was considered the number-one contender heading into your fight. Now that you’ve taken him out of the equation, Henderson has defeated Jim Miller, and Melvin Guillard recently came up short against Joe Lauzon, that pretty much leaves you and Ben as the last two contenders standing. Have you received confirmation that a win over Henderson will earn you a title shot?
To me, a big win earns a title shot. I want to win big so that there is no question about my title shot. Everyone hyped Melvin Guillard as the obvious next shot, but then he lost in the first-round to Joe (Lauzon). So, I figure with a big win, then it’s my turn for that title shot.
It’s been a long road in the UFC for Guida and the fact that he is actually primed for a title shot is somewhat surprising for those of us who remember a time when Guida was seen as little more than a very tough gatekeeper.
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