Tag: Clay Guida

Iron men: The 12 longest-tenured UFC fighters on the current roster

It’s tough to stay in the UFC, never mind for nearly a decade or longer, but these dozen fighters have defied the tests of time.

Two of the longest-tenured fighters, Ed Herman and Clay Guida, step into the cage Saturday at UFC on ESPN 44 after nearly two decades with the promotion.

The majority of UFC fighters don’t last a decade under the promotion’s banner. It’s a difficult feat, but a handful of athletes on the roster have done that. In fact, some are even nearing the 17-year mark.

Some fighters have defied the odds and Father Time in their journey through the world’s top MMA organization. While some of these decade-plus fighters have earned or fought for titles, others have never reached that peak but have figured out how to evolve enough to stay put on the promotion’s roster.

Scroll below to see the 12 longest-tenured fighters on the promotion’s roster.

It’s important to note: This list is based on continuous tenure with the promotion. Fighters who left the promotion, competed elsewhere, and came back are only eligible from the point in which they kicked off their current UFC stint.

Additionally, the fighters need to be on the promotion’s active roster. Fighters who have retired, but the UFC still have the rights to, are ineligible.

The “tenure” is considered to start the date of the first fight of the stint, not at the point of contract signing.

UFC on ESPN 44 predictions: Who’s taking Arnold Allen over ex-champ Max Holloway in mighty K.C.?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 44 main card in Kansas City, Mo., featuring Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen.

Holloway
vs.
Allen		 Barboza
vs.
Quarantillo		 Jacoby
vs.
Murzakanov		 Boser
vs.
Cutelaba		 Gutierrez
vs.
Munhoz		 Garcia
vs.
Guida
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
45-33		 holloway2023
Holloway
(62%)		 quarantillo2023
Quarantillo
(54%)		 jacoby2023
Jacoby
(53%)		 boser2023
Boser
(63%)		 gutierrez2023
Gutierrez
(71%)		 garcia2023
Garcia
(53%)
Nolan King
@mma_kings
48-30		 holloway2023
Holloway		 quarantillo2023
Quarantillo		 murzakanov2023
Murzakanov		 boser2023
Boser		 gutierrez2023
Gutierrez		 guida2023
Guida
Matt Erickson
@MattE
48-30		 allen2023
Allen		 barboza2023
Barboza		 murzakanov2023
Murzakanov		 boser2023
Boser		 gutierrez2023
Gutierrez		 garcia2023
Garcia
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
48-30		 holloway2023
Holloway		 barboza2023
Barboza		 murzakanov2023
Murzakanov		 boser2023
Boser		 gutierrez2023
Gutierrez		 guida2023
Guida
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
47-31		 holloway2023
Holloway		 barboza2023
Barboza		 murzakanov2023
Murzakanov		 boser2023
Boser		 gutierrez2023
Gutierrez		 garcia2023
Garcia
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
45-33		 holloway2023
Holloway		 quarantillo2023
Quarantillo		 murzakanov2023
Murzakanov		 boser2023
Boser		 gutierrez2023
Gutierrez		 garcia2023
Garcia
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
44-34		 holloway2023
Holloway		 quarantillo2023
Quarantillo		 murzakanov2023
Murzakanov		 boser2023
Boser		 gutierrez2023
Gutierrez		 guida2023
Guida
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
44-34
trophy copy 2018, 2022 Champion		 allen2023
Allen		 quarantillo2023
Quarantillo		 murzakanov2023
Murzakanov		 cutelaba2023
Cutelaba		 gutierrez2023
Gutierrez		 guida2023
Guida
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
44-34		 holloway2023
Holloway		 barboza2023
Barboza		 murzakanov2023
Murzakanov		 cutelaba2023
Cutelaba		 gutierrez2023
Gutierrez		 guida2023
Guida
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
43-35
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 holloway2023
Holloway		 barboza2023
Barboza		 murzakanov2023
Murzakanov		 boser2023
Boser		 gutierrez2023
Gutierrez		 guida2023
Guida
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
43-35
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 holloway2023
Holloway		 quarantillo2023
Quarantillo		 jacoby2023
Jacoby		 boser2023
Boser		 gutierrez2023
Gutierrez		 guida2023
Guida
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
41-37		 holloway2023
Holloway		 barboza2023
Barboza		 murzakanov2023
Murzakanov		 boser2023
Boser		 gutierrez2023
Gutierrez		 garcia2023
Garcia

Five years after its first visit, the UFCc is back in an historic Midwest city this week with a former featherweight champion on the top of the card.

UFC on ESPN 44 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, former featherweight champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) takes on England’s [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC), who is unbeaten in the UFC. Holloway is nearly a 2-1 favorite at the betting window, and our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have him in a rout at 9-2.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (22-11 MMA, 16-11 UFC) meets [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in another potential featherweight banger. Quarantillo is a -175 favorite, but it’s elite striker Barboza who has the slimmest possible edge in the picks at 6-5.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag] (18-6-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) fights [autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) at light heavyweight, and even though he’s a -165 favorite, it’s Murzakanov who has a near-shutout in the picks as an underdog at 10-1.

Another fight at 205 pounds sees [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (20-9-1 MMA, 4-4 UFC) take on [autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag] (16-9-1 MMA, 5-8-1 UFC). Cutelaba is a slight favorite at -135, but Boser has a big 9-2 picks lead.

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (19-3-2 MMA, 7-1-1 UFC) is more than a 2-1 favorite against [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) in their bantamweight bout, and he’s our lone unanimous pick from our staff members at 11-0.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) takes on longtime lightweight and UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag] (38-22 MMA, 18-16 UFC). Garcia is the biggest favorite on the entire card at -275, but the picks didn’t play out that way. Underdog Guida has a 7-4 lead from our pickers.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Holloway (62 percent), Quarantillo (54 percent), Jacoby (53 percent), Boser (63 percent), Gutierrez (71 percent), and Garcia (54 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.

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Clay Guida feels ’41 going on 21′ ahead of UFC on ESPN 44

Heading into his 35th UFC bout, 41-year-old Clay Guida is still going strong and says “this one’s got Fight of the Night written all over it.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag] says he’s in better shape than he’s ever been.

Heading into his 35th octagon bout, 41-year-old Guida (38-22 MMA, 18-16 UFC) has no intentions of retiring anytime soon. He meets Rafa Garcia (15-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) in Saturday’s main card opener at T-Mobile Center. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

“We’re 41 going on 21,” Guida told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “I’m in better shape now than I was in my 20’s. We keep that same mentality in our training camps. Outwork everybody, and the rest will fall in place.”

Guida had a stretch where he once fought former champion Charles Oliveira, legend B.J. Penn, and veteran Jim Miller. But lately, the Team Alpha Male fighter has been competing against up-and-comers – and he welcomes all challenges.

“We fought countless veterans, and it’s fun to fight newer faces in the sport as well,” Guida said. “Rafa Garcia is one of these guys who’s been super active since he’s got on the UFC roster, and I feel like a guy like him, in his shoes, he wants to take on a veteran that’s been in the sport for a long time to see where he stands on that list.”

He continued, “He likes to bang, we like to go out there and make it a wild fight, so this one’s got Fight of the Night written all over it.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.

UFC on ESPN 44 pre-event facts: Will Arnold Allen crack Max Holloway’s historic chin?

Check out the numbers behind UFC on ESPN 44, where Max Holloway brings an insane durability record into his main event with Arnold Allen.

The UFC returns to Missouri for the first time in exactly five years on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 44, which takes place at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., with a main card that airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, the stakes don’t get much higher than the clash of featherweight contenders. Former longtime UFC champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) looks to begin another run toward the belt when he takes on [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC), who is unbeaten inside the octagon thus far.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts from UFC on ESPN 44.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Feb. 6-12)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Feb. 6-12.

Clay Guida not retiring anytime soon, chasing record for most takedowns in UFC history

At 40, Clay Guida says he doesn’t plan to retire anytime soon and is chasing the record for most takedowns in UFC history.

[autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag] is nearing 20 years in MMA and he still has goals in mind.

The lightweight doesn’t plan on retiring anytime soon and wants to break the record for most takedowns in UFC history. Guida (38-19 MMA, 18-16 UFC) got closer to his goal Saturday in a decision win over Scott Holtzman (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 42 in Orlando, Fla.

Guida landed four takedowns and surpassed Frankie Edgar and Demetrious Johnson on the list for most takedowns in UFC history. He’s still behind Gleison Tibau and former two-division champion Georges St-Pierre, who hold the record with 90. But he intends to pass them, too.

“We surpassed two Hall of Famers in the takedown department – Frankie Edgar and Demetrious Johnson, two guys I look up to,” Guida told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 42 post-fight press conference (via bro Bible). “To me, it means a lot. It might not mean a lot to other people, but in the grand scheme of things, junior college wrestler, barely made the startup for a little while, so those are little check marks for me.

“I believe the next guy in front of us is Gleison Tibau, and I know GSP has the most, so we’re picking away at it. Those things are important goals for me.”

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Guida, 40, doesn’t have any retirement plans yet. He thinks he still has plenty left in the tank and wants to fight as much as possible.

“I want to stay as active as possible,” Guida said. “We always say ‘Whoever they’ve got.’ We never turn down a fight, and I want to get to that takedown goal, the takedown record. And I’m on Jim Miller’s tail for most fights. And man, he’s got a lot more. He’s coming up on his 41st (fight), so we still have a lot of work to do.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42.

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UFC on ESPN 42 post-event facts: Rafael dos Anjos first to reach 8-hour fight time milestone

Rafael dos Anjos became the first fighter in history to log eight hours of octagon fight time in his win at UFC on ESPN 42.

The UFC returned to Orlando, Fla., for the first time in nearly four years Saturday with UFC on ESPN 42, which took place at Amway Center and saw nine out of 14 fights end in a stoppage.

Stephen Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) earned the most memorable result of all in the main event. The longtime welterweight contender went to war with Kevin Holland (23-9 MMA, 9-6 UFC). He emerged on top by fourth-round TKO due to corner stoppage and netted another Fight of the Night award in the process.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 42.

UFC on ESPN 42 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: A record for non-PPV card

UFC on ESPN 42 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

ORLANDO – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 42 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $297,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 42 took place at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 42 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kyle Daukaus[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Emily Ducote[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Scott Holtzman[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Natan Levy[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Genaro Valdez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Francis Marshall[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Marcelo Rojo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Yazmin Jauregui[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Istela Nunes[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-42 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,932,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $14,109,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42.

UFC on ESPN 42 results: Clay Guida spoils Scott Holtzman’s retirement by wrestling to split decision

Clay Guida spoiled the UFC retirement party of Scott Holtzman by winning a close split decision in Orlando, Fla.

UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag] still possesses a wrestling game that can frustrate opponents.

In Scott Holtzman’s final UFC bout, Guida (38-19 MMA, 18-16 UFC) leaned on what he does best to convince two of the three judges he was the winner, earning two 29-28 scores on the official scorecards. Holtzman (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) made a solid account for himself in the striking department, but only one judge sided with his performance.

The lightweight bout was part of the UFC on ESPN 42 preliminary card at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.

With the crowd chanting Guida’s name, the two lightweights got right into the action at the beginning of the fight. Holtzman took control of the center of the cage after the initial exchanges, looking to land big punches as Guida attempted to mix things up with kicks and takedowns.

In the second, Guida found early success in the clinch, as he pursued takedowns more aggressively. Holtzman gave up a few takedowns, but was able to get back up and separate without taking much damage. On the feet, Holtzman continued to win striking exchanges, but Guida stuck to his wrestling attack.

Holtzman stepped on the gas early in the last round, landing nice punches as Guida waited for his chance to get back to the clinch, and did exactly that with a few big takedowns to control the final minutes of action. Although clearly frustrated, Holtzman was unable to mount significant offense in the final moments of the fight.

Guida’s wrestling attack convinced two of the official cageside judges that he did enough to win a split decision.

Guida returns to the win column after a first-round submission loss to Claudio Puelles in April. Prior to that setback, he locked up a submission of his own to defeat Leonardo Santos last December.

Holtzman, 39, who attempted to leave his gloves in the cage to signal his retirement, will walk away with seven wins under the UFC banner. “Hot Sauce” picked up victories over Cody Pfister, Michael McBride, Darrell Horcher, Alan Patrick, Dong Hyun Ma and Jim Miller.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 42 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42.

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Clay Guida def. Scott Holtzman at UFC on ESPN 42: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Clay Guida’s split decision win over Scott Holtzman at UFC on ESPN 42.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]’s split decision win over [autotag]Scott Holtzman[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 42 at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. (Photos by Nathan Ray Seebeck, USA TODAY Sports)