The UFC returns to Kansas City for the first time since 2017 this April, and a longtime veteran of the promotion will be with them.
Clay Guida (38-22) is set to face Rafa Garcia (14-3) in a lightweight showdown at UFC Kansas City on April 15, 2023. News of the booking was first reported by Garcia’s management firm, Bloodline Combat Sports Agency.
Garcia also confirmed the match-up.
Guida is a 34-fight UFC veteran, which puts him at #4 on the all-time list. He’s been trading wins and losses of late, and has posted a 3-2 record in his last five. Most recently, Guida picked up a win over Scott “Hot Sauce” Holtzman.
“The Carpenter” joined the UFC in 2006; a laundry list of fights against notable names followed. He’s a former Strikeforce lightweight champion, having defeated Josh “The Punk” Thompson to win gold.
Rafa Garcia enters the fight giving up a huge edge in experience, which is the case for almost any Guida opponent. He is coming off a win against Maheshate, however. A former standout in Combate Americas (now Combate Global), Garcia is 3-3 inside the octagon to date.
UFC Kansas City is set for the AT&T Center in Kansas City, MO on April 15. The card is expected to be headlined by featherweights Max Holloway and Arnold Allen, with the following match-ups reported to date:
- Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen
- Martin Buday vs. Jake Collier
- Bruna Brasil vs. Denise Gomez
- Dustin Jacoby vs. Azamat Murzakanov
- T.J. Brown vs. Bill Algeo
- Edson Barboza vs. Billy Quarantillo
- Gillian Robertson vs. Piera Rodríguez
- Pedro Munhoz vs. Chris Gutiérrez
- Danaa Batgerel vs. Brady Hiestand
- Lando Vannata vs. Daniel Zellhuber
- Gastón Bolaños vs. Aaron Phillips
- Lucie Pudilová vs. Joselyne Edwards
- Brandon Royval vs. Matheus Nicolau
- Clay Guida vs. Rafa Garcia
