Clay Guida: 'My heart don't start beating 'till I get my hand raised'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FAIRFAX, VA - APRIL 04: Clay Guida celebrates after defeating Robbie Peralta in their featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at the Patriot Center on April 4, 2015 in Fairfax, Virginia. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES --- Over the course of his long and storied MMA career, Clay Guida (32-16) has faced and beaten some of the very best in the world, including Nate Diaz, Raphael Dos Anjos, and Anthony Pettis. And though the wrestler has, at times, fallen to submission holds (half of his career losses have come by way of submission) he's also managed to work his way out of many more locks and chokes than he's gotten caught in.
Guida has gone head-to-head Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt after black belt, stifled their game and walked out of the cage with his arm raised. He expects the same to happen this Saturday against jiu-jitsu expert and rising featherweight contender Brian Ortega. (10-0-1).
"I have faced a very high level of black belt and Ortega is going to be just another guy in there," Guida told FOXSports, Thursday afternoon.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"[UFC matchmakers] Joe Silva and Sean Shelby have matched us up against some of the best black belts â from Din Thomas and Marcus Aurelio. People don't realize how nasty Anthony Pettis' game is from off of his back. He gave me fits and he wasn't even a black belt. Mac Danzig was amazing off his back."
Guida isn't underestimating Ortega, he just doesn't see the 25 year-old being able to continue his win-streak against him.
"He's very skilled, obviously," he allowed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"He's been on a tear but come Saturday I'm going to be the guy to give that little notch next to the loss column to him."
Ortega is currently ranked higher than Guida, has yet to lose in the UFC or as a professional, generally, and is a dangerous finisher. With that said, "The Carpenter" believes that he brings a level of experience, conditioning and violence that his decade-younger opponent won't be able to handle.
"He's never faced a real Tasmanian Devil, dude," Guida explained.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Chest hair and all, you know what I mean? I'm going to come out and sweat all over him, I'm going to take him down, I'm going to roughneck him. I'm going to put him in positions that he's never felt.
"He's fought reckless guys, sloppy guys, good strikers, good jiu-jitsu guys, but he hasn't fought just a pure animal who has defended a hundred submissions in fights, who has gotten 20 takedowns In a fight and whose heart hasn't even started beating, then. My heart don't start beating till I get my hand raised."
Guida said that Ortega asked the UFC to fight him, which he respects. Clay plans on being Clay out there at the helm of the FS1 preliminary, however, and enjoying another fun night of work and winning.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We have a great time in there. I'm excited that he took the fight, that he asked for the fight," he concluded.
"That shows that he wants to challenge himself, that he wants to get better but 199 ain't gonna be the night for him."