KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Clay Guida says he’s in better shape than he’s ever been.
Heading into his 35th octagon bout, 41-year-old Guida (38-22 MMA, 18-16 UFC) has no intentions of retiring anytime soon. He meets Rafa Garcia (15-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) in Saturday’s main card opener at T-Mobile Center. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.
“We’re 41 going on 21,” Guida told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “I’m in better shape now than I was in my 20’s. We keep that same mentality in our training camps. Outwork everybody, and the rest will fall in place.”
Guida had a stretch where he once fought former champion Charles Oliveira, legend B.J. Penn, and veteran Jim Miller. But lately, the Team Alpha Male fighter has been competing against up-and-comers – and he welcomes all challenges.
“We fought countless veterans, and it’s fun to fight newer faces in the sport as well,” Guida said. “Rafa Garcia is one of these guys who’s been super active since he’s got on the UFC roster, and I feel like a guy like him, in his shoes, he wants to take on a veteran that’s been in the sport for a long time to see where he stands on that list.”
He continued, “He likes to bang, we like to go out there and make it a wild fight, so this one’s got Fight of the Night written all over it.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.
