Clay Guida has no interest in retiring from fighting anytime soon.
‘The Carpenter’ secured his 18th promotional win by defeating Scott Holtzman at UFC Orlando. Holtzman retired after losing, and some media members were intrigued by an update on Guida’s future retirement. During his post-fight interview, the 40-year-old UFC veteran had this to say:
“Man, we’re laying on that gas pedal. We’re running and gunning still.”
Guida was then asked about when he wants to fight again. ‘The Carpenter’ responded by saying:
“I wanna stay as active as possible. We always say this, whoever they got. We never turn down a fight, and, man, I wanna get to that takedown goal, that takedown record. 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, and I feel like Jimmy Miller is fighting more often than ever now. We still got a lot of work to do, and that’s all we know. Hard work gets rewarded every time.”
Guida’s win against Holtzman evened out his 2022 record to 1-1. The Illinois native has built a promotional record of 18-16 since making his UFC debut in 2006. ‘The Carpenter’ is leaving his mark on the UFC with must-see fights and several appearances in the UFC record book.
It's Clay Guida time 🙌 #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/lkybv95dl3
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 4, 2022
Clay Guida moves to third for most takedowns in UFC history
Clay Guida edged closer to several UFC records with his split decision win at UFC Orlando. Guida is now tied with Jeremy Stephens for the fourth most fights in promotional history (34). ‘The Carpenter’ also revealed another record book improvement in his post-fight interview by saying:
“Brett Okamoto told me in the interview I did a little earlier that we made another couple of milestones, I guess. He said that we surpassed two Hall of Famers in the takedown department. Frankie Edgar and Demetrious Johnson. Two guys I look up to.”
Clay Guida gets his 74th career takedown in the UFC👏 #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/aPgC3ellc8
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 4, 2022
Guida had this to say about the importance of record chasing:
“To me it means a lot, it might not to other people, but in the grand scheme of things, being a junior college wrestler, barely made the starting lineup for a little while. So, those are little checkmarks for me. I believe the next guy in front of us is Gleison Tibau. I know GSP has the most, so we’re picking away at it, man. Those things are important goals to me and we’re getting there.”
Jim Miller currently has 40 UFC fights. Guida has 34, so it’s unlikely he will pass Miller with both fighters active. ‘The Carpenter’ does have a chance of securing the most takedowns in promotional history. Guida has 76 total takedowns, and Georges St-Pierre has 90.
The 40-year-old MMA veteran is also featured in the top ten for decision wins, fight night bonuses, total fight time, control time, and top position time.
