UFC 117 REVIEW PART 5: GUIDA VS. DOS ANJOS

Clay Guida. Wrestler. Striker. Engine with unlimited fuel. Wild man. Carpenter. Dude with extremely crazy hair. He actually reminds me a lot of Blanka from the Street Fighter series by the way he looks and acts, but I digress. Guida is primarily known as a dominant wrestler who likes to grind his opponents out until they have nothing left to give. He literally never runs out of gas. Never. And he goes full steam from the very first bell to the very last. Rafael Dos Anjos, on the other hand, is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert who is also known to possess some incredible Muay Thai. So, he could knock Guida out or possibly submit him.

THE FIRST ROUND

For most of the first round, it would seem that the former was the most likely to happen. The round took place almost entirely on the feet and Dos Anjos seemed to be getting the best of Guida in the stand up game every time. Guida’s no slouch in his kickboxing, but Dos Anjos was obviously performing a level higher that night.

THE SECOND ROUND

The second round starts and Guida comes out like a wild man with his striking, as usual. The round looked more even this time around, as Guida looked to be getting more in stride. Still, though, Dos Anjos continues to look impressive on his feet with his crisp striking, and when the fight goes to the ground, he is very active with his submission attempts. If Guida can’t finish him, then he has to do something drastic in the third round because he could very well lose the fight on points.

THE THIRD ROUND

The third round begins and Guida comes out extremely aggressive as usual. He quickly backs Dos Anjos into the cage, and viciously slams him onto the mat. Guida lies on top of him, applying pressure as usual and getting into a good position when, suddenly … Dos Anjos taps! That’s right, perhaps even more impressive than Matt Hughes’ surprise finish of Ricardo Almeida, Clay Guida makes his opponent tap without a submission and without a hold.

Apparently, earlier in the fight, one of Guida’s punches landed cleanly on Dos Anjos’ jaw and broke it. Dos Anjos continued to fight, but having Guida’s whole body weight on his face was the last straw. He couldn’t take the pain and was forced to tap out. The carpenter wins again in impressive fashion!

Check out the rest of my UFC 117 reviews and drop on over the official UFC website for more amazing photos of the event!