Can a Guy that Drives an RV get a UFC Title Shot? Ask Clay Guida

August 2, 2011

Clay Guida at UFC 125

Can a guy who drives an RV cross-country get some love in the UFC? If so, Clay Guida is one of the most title shot-deserving RV drivers in the organization.

Well, actually, he’s the only one if you think about it.

But despite his choice of transportation and/or home, Guida has made some crater-sized impacts in the UFC’s lightweight division of late, winning four in a row and stapling himself amongst the more exciting fighters in the promotion. With his recent win over former number one contender Anthony Pettis, “The Carpenter” is in prime position to get the call and face the winner of Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.

Phone hasn’t rung yet, though. Bummer.

But it’s all good according the Guida.

“It seems like everyone (has0 a fight lined up except me,” Guida told MMAWeekly Radio Weekend Edition. “So we’re kind of waiting to see what happens next, but we’re always in shape and ready for whatever they throw at us.”

A fan-favorite on the UFC roster, Guida bounces around the Octagon with his caveman-esque hair, exciting fans and entertaining the mixed martial masses. He gets the job done, as well, finishing three of his last four wins by way of submission.

Credentials like that make for the perfect title contender, but being in one of the UFC’s deepest divisions makes for a tough time when getting a slice of the golden pie. Recent stellar performances from 155-pounders like Jim Miller and Guida’s teammate Melvin Guillard have made the UFC’s choice to face the Edgar-Maynard winner much more difficult.

Decision, decisions, decisions.

“Jim Miller has been hanging around for a while just smashing guys, running through people,” commented Guida when talking about potential number one contenders. “I think he’s on a seven or eight-fight win-streak. He’s got the most wins in the UFC in the past couple years outside of Anderson Silva. So, he’s definitely made a stake for himself and I think we’ve made some waves in the lightweight division with beating four guys in a row, finishing some guys and beating some top contenders, too.”

Clay has never been one to call out fighters. It’s just not his style. But since things are so wide open in the lightweight division, it’s not easy to just wait for a call and hope that it’s about title contention. Maybe using social media to get some spin going is the right approach to getting an opponent?

“We can’t all just sit around and wait for that title fight,” he said. “We can’t all just sit around and wait for that number one contender spot.

“Yeah, sometimes, you just (have to) have to name drop a little bit, I guess.”

But again, Guida is no name dropper when it comes to who he wants to face immediately next, anyway.

He did mention, however, that he’d like to see a super-fight between Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez and whoever holds the UFC lightweight title in near future. To make things all the more juicier, Guida and Melendez have a bit of history. The two faced each other for the Strikeforce lightweight title back in 2006 with Guida as the defending champion. Melendez won the match by split decision and took the belt from Guida after “The Carpenter” had just earned the title in his previous fight against Josh Thomson.

If the cards play out right, Guida and Melendez could one day meet again. Only this time, it would be in the Octagon.

“He’s the one that took the belt from me,” Guida said about the Strikeforce lightweight champ. “I think he’s the hardest, toughest dude in the Strikeforce lightweight division, possibly in the world right now, outside of three or four guys in the UFC. He’s got a lot to prove. Depending on what he’s got lined up next, it’s safe to say they might do a super-fight or something like that, kind of who they did with Nick Diaz and Georges St-Pierre (at UFC 137). But I’m very interested to see what happens with the rest of the lightweight division in Strikeforce.”