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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
"Looking at my record in the UFC, 9-7, it just doesn't sit well, and I demand more out of myself and I know I can do better and always improve. People see my fighting style, and if they've seen my fights, that record could be 15-1 just like that. I think there's only really one fight that I went out there and it wasn't even a close fight, and that was the Kenny Florian fight (in 2009), which helped change my career in a positive way. So looking at it as a whole and in the bigger picture of my career, after the Maynard fight I spoke with my brother (fellow fighter Jason Guida), who is a huge influence in my life and my career, and he said it might be that time to cut those extra pounds and get down to '45 and start pushing people around and start knocking dudes out. He said ‘You had some close fights, you stunned Gray a few times and wobbled Ben, but we've gotta start finishing these guys.' So I thought about that, and let it soak in for a while.
I just know that with the impact that Frankie (Edgar) and I are gonna make, and along with my teammates Cub Swanson and Diego Brandao, we can run the division. I don't put myself on a pedestal; I just know how competitive we are, and that with the proper training and the proper diet, it won't be more than a couple fights before the UFC's gonna want to put a big face in there. So I'm excited about the opportunity that lies ahead of us."
-Clay Guida talks to UFC.com's Thomas Gerbasi about the thinking behind his move to the featherweight division at UFC on Fox 6 against Hatsu Hioki, and his plans for the division going forward.
Penick's Analysis: Guida's always been competitive, but at times he's relied too heavily on controlling from top position rather than finishing opponents, and that has had a negative impact both on him and fan perception of him over the years. He has an opportunity to make an impact in the featherweight division, and at 145 lbs. he should have a strength advantage over many opponents. If that leads to more dominant wins that see Guida finishing opponents inside the distance it will be a great move for him, and one that will raise his stock back up in the UFC. It's a move that's needed for his career, because he may need to reinvent himself after the very poor fight against Gray Maynard earlier this year.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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