Clay Guida has been a professional mixed martial artist for 16 years now and a UFC athlete for 13 of the 16. He has had his hand raised a total of 35 times and has shared the Octagon with names like Kenny Florian, Nate Diaz, Benson Henderson, B.J. Penn, and many others. Guida even has a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame for his classic battle with Diego Sanchez at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale 10 years ago. But as someone who has won three of his last four fights, Guida believes he still has a lot left to give the sport at 37 years of age:
“A lot of other people talk about the big ‘R’ word, retirement,” Guida told MMA Junkie. “That’s as far away for me now as it has been in my career. I’m in better shape now than when I was in 21, I’m in better shape than when I was 25. I’m more focused, I’m just understanding the game now more than ever. I’m making improvements every camp and every time I step in the cage. I’m just having so much doing this right now and one fight at a time is definitely a good description, and come Saturday you’re going to see a much more improved ‘Carpenter.’”
In his most recent bout, Clay Guida defeated B.J. Penn via unanimous decision at UFC 237. He will now look to continue to show the world why retirement is not in his intermediate plans when he takes on another UFC mainstay in 43-fight veteran Jim Miller at UFC Newark:
“It’s great to be back towards the top of the card where Jim Miller and I were for a long time,” Guida said. “He’s had longevity in the sport, he’s fought the who’s who and I think we have like nine or 10 mutual opponents. It was just a matter of time until we got in there and tangled horns.
“It’s going to be like a tornado. It’s just going to be a matter of time until this fight hits the ground. It’s going to be a whirlwind, it’s going to be like tumbleweeds flying around there. Two masters on the ground, and it’s going to be something to see.”
How many more years do you predict Clay Guida will be competing in mixed martial arts?
