Clay Guida is nearing 20 years in MMA and he still has goals in mind.
The lightweight doesn’t plan on retiring anytime soon and wants to break the record for most takedowns in UFC history. Guida (38-19 MMA, 18-16 UFC) got closer to his goal Saturday in a decision win over Scott Holtzman (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 42 in Orlando, Fla.
Guida landed four takedowns and surpassed Frankie Edgar and Demetrious Johnson on the list for most takedowns in UFC history. He’s still behind Gleison Tibau and former two-division champion Georges St-Pierre, who hold the record with 90. But he intends to pass them, too.
“We surpassed two Hall of Famers in the takedown department – Frankie Edgar and Demetrious Johnson, two guys I look up to,” Guida told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 42 post-fight press conference (via bro Bible). “To me, it means a lot. It might not mean a lot to other people, but in the grand scheme of things, junior college wrestler, barely made the startup for a little while, so those are little check marks for me.
“I believe the next guy in front of us is Gleison Tibau, and I know GSP has the most, so we’re picking away at it. Those things are important goals for me.”
Guida, 40, doesn’t have any retirement plans yet. He thinks he still has plenty left in the tank and wants to fight as much as possible.
“I want to stay as active as possible,” Guida said. “We always say ‘Whoever they’ve got.’ We never turn down a fight, and I want to get to that takedown goal, the takedown record. And 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 (fight), so we still have a lot of work to do.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42.
