UFC lightweight Clay Guida is on the downslope of his career as an active fighter. These days, he’s thinking more about keeping the flame alive with competitive grappling rather than vying for a title shot.
Still, “The Carpenter” has a few fantasy matchups he’d like to fulfill before he calls it quits, and a rematch is at the top of his wish list.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, and I’ll never back down on this one: Nate Diaz has got it coming to him some day,” Guida said during the virtual media day for UFC on ESPN 11, which takes place Saturday at UFC APEX. “I beat his ass once, I’ll beat his ass again. If he ever toes the line, and they stop protecting him, you know my number, Nate. Don’t be scared, homie. You know where we’re at, buddy.”
Guida, who meets Bobby Green on the top prelim bout, has called repeatedly for a second fight with Diaz, particularly after a well-publicized scuffle with the UFC star that led to charges being filed. Guida dropped an assault charge against Diaz after allegedly getting shoved into a metal guardrail at a regional MMA event, leaving him with a bloody lip. Guida’s training partner also claimed Diaz slapped him when he tried to separate the two.
But Guida didn’t forget what happened. He subsequently took to social media to cut a promo for the rematch, only to see Diaz agree to take on Anthony Pettis in his comeback fight.
In the octagon, Guida already has proven he’s the better man. The two met in 2009 at UFC 94, and Diaz lost a split decision in a “Fight of the Night” offering.
As he winds down his career, Guida said he plans to continue competing in competitive grappling because “it’s an addiction, and it keeps you in shape.”
While Saturday’s event won’t have an audience, Guida said a legion of his friends and family known as “the Guida mafia” will be in Las Vegas to support him for his fight with Green.
“Don’t be surprised to hear that Guida chant throughout the Strip, throughout downtown Vegas,” he said. “I know my friends and family members are going to be right there with me.
“It will be kind of cool to tune them out a little bit and focus on the coaches. That’s one thing that sets the best athletes apart from the rest is to focus on the task at hand. I’ve always been able to hear my brother and my head coaches and my cornermen, even when we’re fighting in a jam-packed arena like Vegas.”
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