Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida Preview

Diego Sanchez (20-2, 9-2 UFC) vs. Clay Guida (25-9, 5-3 UFC)

The lightweight division is wide open thanks to Frankie Edgar's upset win over Sean Sherk. It is widely considered that if Diego Sanchez wins he will fight for the lightweight title against the winner of Kenny Florian - B.J. Penn. However the jury is still out if Clay Guida wins. Guida is already petitioning for a title shot but he may be trapped in a no-win situation. If Guida fights too conservatively and wins by split decision the UFC may pass him over in favor of a different fighter. If he fights too liberally and puts on a fantastic show but ultimately loses à la his fight with Roger Huerta, then he will slide back into the pack. A tough position for any fighter to be in. 

Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida are extremely similar fighters; both are high intensity wrestlers that push the action to overwhelm their opponent. Both fighters also have a pension of going the distance against top competition. Something we can expect in this fight especially considering the high stakes for both fighters.

This will be Diego Sanchez's second fight at lightweight and we still don't know what kind of fighter Diego will be at 155lbs. In Diego's first fight at lightweight he proved that his cardio will not be an issue as he defeated Joe Stevenson by unanimous decision. However it did appear that his power suffered at the lighter weight. 

Diego Sanchez's two losses came against superior wrestlers. Can Clay Guida harness the spirit and Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch and throw off Sanchez's game? It will be difficult with Diego's size advantage but Guida is an excellent wrestler. 

If Guida cannot take the fight to the ground and it turns into a kick boxing bout (something that has happened a lot lately in the lightweight division) then Guida will be at the disadvantage. Sanchez has the reach advantage and better boxing. For Guida this fight all comes down to energy, intensity and getting his hair cut. If he is too conservative and doesn't push the action to establish control he could risk being slowly picked apart while having too shoot in from distance, a horrible position for a wrestler to be in. 

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