UFC 94 Possible Fight of the Night – Nate Diaz vs Clay Guida

The lightweight division is often home to the most exciting fights in the UFC, and the Clay Guida-Nate Diaz matchup at UFC 94 has the potential to be one of the fights of the year.

Styles make fights, and the stylistic matchup between the tall, wiry submission expert Diaz and the short, stocky, wrestler Guida makes for a compelling matchup to say the least.

Not only are the styles of these two fighters a perfect matchup, their personality difference makes this fight even more interesting.

Diaz is a trash-talker with a penchant for bizarre, almost Mike Tyson-esque ramblings after his victories and a guy who’s not above flipping off the camera while finishing opponents off with a triangle choke (see Kurt Pellegrino).

Guida on the other hand is an always-amped up wild man with an infectiously positive attitude; a guy who truly respects the sport and his opponent but still likes to have fun in the Octagon.

Diaz is listed as a -125 to +105 favorite in this fight, which is extremely tough to call for most people especially considering their rooting allegiances, as both fighters have a ton of hardcore supporters.

As for how this matchup will play out, let’s examine the strengths and weaknesses of each fighter. Guida’s high-octane wrestling style and compact build seems like a good counter to Diaz, who’s not the strongest guy around. Guida will have the opportunity to get inside Diaz’s guard and rain some punches and elbows in this one if he plays his game. Manny Gamburyan gave Diaz a hard time in their Ultimate Fighter Finale matchup using such a game plan before his shoulder gave out on him due to a previous injury. But Guida is more about energy and tenacity than pure strength like Gamburyan.

Diaz will try to out-point Guida on his feet because he has little knockout power. He will also look to set up Guida for a submission attempt by perhaps pulling guard or attempting to bait him into making a mistake.

It is here that the wild style of Guida might go against him because Diaz is a crafty fighter who always seems to get opponents into bad situations before finishing them off with submissions.

While this fight could go either way, Guida is the bet here to take home the win because of his wrestling and his continued evolution as a fighter. But Diaz has the ability to pull out a submission at any time, which is what makes this fight UFC 94 so enticing to watch.