Clay Guida still chasing Nate Diaz rematch: ‘I know you’re out there, you can’t run, you can’t hide’
It’s been nearly 13 years since Clay Guida first met Nate Diaz at UFC 94 but he’s still gunning for a rematch if the one-time “BMF” title challenger is up for it.
Following his epic comeback victory at UFC Vegas 44 on Saturday night, Guida was energetic like always when addressing his performance as well as what comes next for him. He’s been very busy in 2021 with three fights already and Guida would love to add Diaz on his resume again after already winning a unanimous decision in their first meeting all the way back in 2009.
“We just want to stay on the gas pedal,” Guida said about what comes next for him when speaking at the UFC Vegas 44 post-fight press conference. “Stay active and there’s still one dude out there with our name on him. I beat him once. I’ll give him another chance.
“Nate Diaz, I know you’re out there. You can’t run. You can’t hide. I know you’re going to turn the fight down and probably won’t even know that we want to fight you, but if you ever want to do it again, buddy, I’ll give you a shot at it. Let me know.”
This isn’t the first time Guida has suggested Diaz as an opponent because he’s name dropped the Stockton, Calif. bad boy numerous times while constantly offering him a chance at redemption in a rematch.
Of course, Diaz has never really responded, which is why Guida was smiling but also realistic about the chances that he’ll actually get that fight any time in the future.
If Diaz isn’t available or not willing to accept the challenge, Guida knows there are plenty of other options available to him as a UFC Hall of Famer still going strong as he reaches his 40th birthday in a matter of days.
“We’ll fight anybody,” Guida said. [The UFC] know that. I’m not sure what [Chris] Gruetzemacher did tonight? He lost? I was going to see if they wanted to do a matchup of the ugliest guys in the UFC, the two ugliest cavemen. If he wants to do that, we can do that. I don’t know how they are pairing up a guy that got his hand raised against a guy that didn’t but I think it’s good timing.
“I’ve always liked that fight. He’s fun to watch. He looks like me. He’s got a little bit more hair than I do. Maybe we can get that one in the books in the future or the guy that he fought [Claudio Puelles]. I’m up for whoever.”
Whether it’s Diaz, Gruetzemacher or someone else, Guida definitely deserves a little down time for now as he takes at least a few moments to celebrate arguably one of the greatest comebacks in recent history after he submitted Leonardo Santos.
Nothing came easy for Guida after a body kick nearly folded him in half during the opening round but he was able to survive until eventually getting back to his feet.
He then took full advantage of Santos running out of gas as Guida relied on his wrestling to help him finish the multi-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion for a second win in his past three fights.
“I was literally laughing. I’m like this is not how this year is supposed to end,” Guida said about his early knockdown in the first round. “Not in front of a crowd that I’ve been able to fight in front of since 2019, not in front of my parents, coaches, national television on ESPN. Like c’mon Clay, get your crap together. We stayed calm in there and like I said, listen to my coaches. I could hear everything clear as a bell. They said he’s breaking, he’s tired, he blew it already and just stay on him and that’s what we did. I had to weather the storm. There’s no such thing as quit. I don’t know the definition of that. We don’t know the definition of get tired or stop and that’s all due to wrestling.
“Beginning of the second [I knew I had him]. We just starting coming at him and swinging ugly overhands and I don’t really know if any of them landed. Coach says I landed a few. I think I remember one right hand land but he was backing up and once we took his back and I kind of mat returned, kind of a lazy mat return, and he just didn’t really move, didn’t wiggle, didn’t do anything, I’m like all right we got this.”