Clay Guida: Candidate for Gatekeeper Status?

by LikeTheWhiskey on Dec 17, 2009 10:59 AM EST Comment 38 comments

After watching 107 this past weekend, I thought two things about the status of the UFC LW division: BJ Penn has become a seemingly unstoppable, motivated monster (hold your applause for that obvious statement) and, please feel free to disagree, that Clay Guida could be the new LW division gatekeeper.

As you all know, gatekeepers are the unofficial term for a fighter's equivalent of purgatory: you have to do something good (beat top level talent) to get into "heaven" (winning a title or be a considered a contender), but you haven't performed so poorly that you're in "hell" (the bottom of the pile or, worse, receiving a pink slip).

No one can doubt Guida's toughness and take down abilities. He's got an extensive MMA record, 3 FOTN bonuses, and beaten enough quality competition to stay in the pack. However, the losses to Sanchez/Florian show he may not rise too much further given his limited skill set. Penn's back-to-back destruction of those two alone should be an indicator that Guida is not ready to move to the upper echelon of the division.

I'm not saying this is necessarily a bad thing (It could be worse: he could be the LW equivalent of Mostapha Al-turk...). While I believe Guida's game plan sometimes moves to a "lay and pray" speed, he's a tough, young fighter who, if he keeps up his current tempo and record, has potential for longevity. At the very least, he's currently putting on a good show, which always goes a long way with fans win, lose or draw.

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i think he’ll be a gatekeeper, but i think he’ll be top of the card every time. people love guida, even in defeat.

I'm old school hating Lesnar, I've been hating Lesnar since '08

by MicahW on Dec 17, 2009 11:10 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I think he’s been a gatekeeper for a while now. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just obvious where he sits in the division.

by Andy R on Dec 17, 2009 11:25 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Agreed.

I think he was a gatekeeper a long time ago.

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by Leland Roling on Dec 17, 2009 11:26 AM EST up reply actions 4 recs

I really enjoy watching Clay get choked out.

by ChillMike on Dec 18, 2009 1:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Funny i’m the opposite I enjoy watching him take vastly hyped LW’s and exposing them to the rest of the world.

by Raker on Dec 18, 2009 3:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

My thoughts exactly

I was like… “Candidate”?

He won the UFC gatekeeper presidential election in ’08, and is looking to try for a second term in ’12.

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by ElliotMatheny on Dec 17, 2009 6:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn't mind seeing Guida vs. Tyson Griffin 2

as a next fight for both of them. The decision was razor thin the first time, and both have improved since the first fight (although Griffin probably more significantly).

by Scott Haber on Dec 17, 2009 11:29 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

or Guida vs. Pellegrino

by Scott Haber on Dec 17, 2009 11:32 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

much more significantly, I'd say

by Grappo on Dec 17, 2009 3:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Which is actualy a fantastic reason to have the fight.

It shows that Griffin is going places, and gives Guida a shot at evening the score.

Seriously, that’s a fight that should happen. The first fight was amazing.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Dec 17, 2009 5:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn’t mind seeing Guida drop down to 145 and fight in the WEC. He would provide for some awesome fights and might be able to be a champ

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13

by Noah'sArk on Dec 17, 2009 12:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I really just dont think the striking is there to compete at the top end of the division. Im pretty sure he would even get outgrappled by Faber and Brown.

by Rabbit915 on Dec 17, 2009 7:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

His striking ability is definitely lacking, but I don’t think he’ll be outmatched so much in reach that he can’t be competitive on the feet. His wrestling ability is definitely strong enough to give him wins. I’d give him the edge over Faber and Brown. Aldo, not so much.

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by Noah'sArk on Dec 18, 2009 10:45 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

no way he beats faber or brown they have way more complete games that can make up for his size and wrestling ability
he would prob be the 4th best featherweight as i see him being better than manny gambuyan rafael assunceo and leonard garcia but i could see him droping down beating someone competitive like a gamburyan and getting a title shot vs aldo if aldo continues to run through the divison like i expect

by milk72 on Dec 21, 2009 10:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the feedback, guys.

Maybe since gatekeeper’s typically are a ‘right of passage’ for rising stars and not fighting #1 contenders, I thought I’d throw it out there that his loss to KenFlo solidified that position.

by LikeTheWhiskey on Dec 17, 2009 12:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Who is the Middleweight Version of Clay then, Kendall?

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by Krawchuck on Dec 17, 2009 12:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Jorje Rivera

by StevenGiles on Dec 17, 2009 2:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ed Herman or Alan Belcher

by chrisbboy82 on Dec 18, 2009 2:18 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Definitely Belcher. Is Herman still out hurt with his knee?

by ChillMike on Dec 18, 2009 1:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I can see Belcher creep into the top 10.

I would say he’s a doorstep above gatekeeper.

by MickDawg on Dec 19, 2009 1:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Either Sonnen or Quarry I’d say.

by pdl on Dec 17, 2009 1:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Not Sonnen

He’s too good, might even be able to fight for a title one day. Quarry is a good choice. Guievai (sp) maybe. J-mac was a good one before he was let go.

by Captain7 on Dec 17, 2009 2:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It's arguable.

His submission defense is a huge liability, and his striking is still very rudimentary. Sonnen vs. Okami was a great matchup for him, since he’s slightly less one dimensional and a bit better at the one dimension they share. I can see him beating Akiyama by decision via size and wrestling clinic, and he has a good shot at Bisping the same way. Just about any other of the UFC top 10 middleweights… don’t expect me to put money on him. Put him against the Gouveia, Belcher, or Sakara’s of the division and Sonnen via decision becomes of the of the best bets in the world.

by pdl on Dec 17, 2009 3:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

So, Okami who was the consensus #2 guy forever is now terrible or something?

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by Richard Wade on Dec 17, 2009 4:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Absolutely not.

I was a huge “GIVE OKAMI HIS TITLE SHOT!” supporter. All I’m saying is that Sonnen has marginally better striking and greater wrestling credentials (two time NCAA champion and an Olympic alternate, if I’m not mistaken). Okami has mediocre striking (at best) and fantastic wrestling and ground control. Lining him up with an Olympic caliber wrestler who can outstrike him and sprawl/scramble away from his strengths was a bad stylistic matchup.

All that said, I agree that Quarry is the better definition for MW. Sonnen leaps to mind because he’s an incredibly powerful wrestler who has a knack for getting subbed and can be outstruck. He’s a great fighter, but beatable. Also because I don’t think him vs. Nate will be competitive and he got first round subbed by Demian. There are too many top 10 guys who I think could wreck him, but I’d take him to beat just about everyone outside of the top 15.

by pdl on Dec 17, 2009 5:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sonnen is a top 10 middleweight.

Bolts from the Blue // "I have got to be the most boring GM in the league." - A.J. Smith
Bloody Elbow // "I win again. Engrish is my bitch." - Steven Zucconi

by Richard Wade on Dec 17, 2009 4:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

he has potential for longevity, so long as he doesn’t keep getting matched up with guys that absolutely tool him on the feet.

by Grappo on Dec 17, 2009 3:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Clay is in no way a gatekeeper, the guy consistantly fights the top LW’s in the UFC and gives almost all of them fits if not beat them straight up.

Guys like Mac Danzig, Spencer Fisher, Thiago Tavares and Matt Wiman on the other hand are the perfect example of what a real gatekeeper is.

by Raker on Dec 17, 2009 3:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

The guys he beat aren’t contenders. That’s how being a gatekeeper works.

Bolts from the Blue // "I have got to be the most boring GM in the league." - A.J. Smith
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by Richard Wade on Dec 17, 2009 4:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Clay Guida is the best gatekeeper in the business. He has a big heart so you need true will to win to get past him and move up the rankings.

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by MMAEruption on Dec 17, 2009 4:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

My top gatekeeper is always going to be Chris “Lights Out” Lytle with Marcus Davis as second. Both are well-rounded enough, so they are good tests for any Welterweight.

by chrisbboy82 on Dec 18, 2009 2:20 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think sometimes people miss where the 'gate' is.

For a guy like Guida, he’s not a gatekeeper to the UFC’s LW division, he’s more like a gatekeeper to title contention. I know it seems a semantic point, but I think it’s important nonetheless.

Guida can’t beat any of the top title contenders, but he’ll give anyone else fits, and for the most part he’ll beat pretty much everyone else.

Basically, if you can beat Guida, you’re probably going somewhere.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Dec 17, 2009 5:56 PM EST reply actions 2 recs

Good point

I’d mentioned Al-Turk who, if they keep him around, is almost like the dungeon keeper of the HW division. You can’t beat him, you won’t last at all. Jump up the ladder, you’ve got the higher gatekeeper like Heath Herring.

You could have an entire new thread on the various gatekeepers at each level of the division like they were bosses in Super Mario.

by LikeTheWhiskey on Dec 18, 2009 9:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs