Clay Guida said ahead of UFC Vegas 44 that he was going to make 41-year old Leonardo Santos feel his age.
Just days shy of his own 40th birthday, Guida might want to be careful who he calls old. The longtime UFC veteran even entered the bout as a slight underdog with some odds-makers.
Guida, however, was his usual busy self early in the fight. Santos fired a heavy leg kick to the outside, a move he’d go back to shortly after. Guida then appeared to be hit with a kick to the midsection, which allowed Santos to swarm.
What came next was sheer insanity. Guida went after a leg in desperation, somehow surviving, covering up as Santos unloaded punch after punch. Incredibly, Guida got back up. Santos then laid it on with knees and punches, and Guida dropped again in desperation, looking for an ankle pick. How Guida was surviving was a huge question, given he ate multiple knees to the face. Yet it didn’t seem to slow Guida any. In fact “The Carpenter” got back out in the open, fired a head kick, and though he slipped, it partially connected. Guida then continued to walk the larger man down, mixing up his punches and kicks, and landing a massive takedown with a minute to work.
In round two, Guida put the body lock on early, dragging Santos down. From there, he took the back, got an arm under the neck, and choked Santos out! Santos may have actually come to and tapped in the end, but either way, the submission was secured.
WHAT A COMEBACK!!!!!!!@ClayGuida is a wild man 😤 #UFCVegas44 pic.twitter.com/vqLNGUR1zR
— UFC (@ufc) December 5, 2021
Quite the comeback from Clay Guida. And quite the birthday present.
Official Result: Clay Guida def. Leonardo Santos by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 1:21
