The 39-year-old veteran, who struggles to stand still before, during or after a fight, was once again a work horse as he once again showcased an unbelievable work rate over three rounds to win a unanimous decision over Michael Johnson.
After a surprising opening round that saw Guida throw some heavy hands, he then went back to his wrestling to keep Johnson grounded with the judges all giving him the fight by 30-27 scorecards.
“I feel better than ever,” Guida said after the win. “It wasn’t pretty by any means. Michael Johnson is a gamer, the guy hits like a truck. It felt great to get my hand raised finally.”
Best known for that intense pace, Guida was quick to take the center of the octagon but rather than looking for his signature takedowns, he was throwing hard shots at Johnson’s head. An early right hand from Guida appeared to have Johnson rattled but it wasn’t long before both lightweights were just swinging at each other with serious power behind every punch.
Guida’s relentless pressure did not slow down while rushing forward and attempting to drag Johnson down to the mat in the second round. Johnson did a good job resisting Guida’s wrestling while trying to make him pay any time he got enough distance to throw a strike.
The grueling nature of Guida’s style made it a tough fight to score, which is why Johnson’s coaches were imploring him to look for the finish. Johnson definitely reacted while head hunting Guida with his punches and then jutting his hips away to avoid another takedown.
Guida just refused to give up on his wrestling and he eventually dragged Johnson back down to the mat, transitioned to the back and nearly locked up a rear-naked choke with just over one minute remaining in the fight. While Johnson avoided the submission, time ran out before he could hope to mount a comeback as he dropped to 0-4 in his past four appearances.
As for Guida, he continues to earn his way in the UFC after just recently inking a new four-fight deal with the promotion and it appears he’s not going anywhere but back to the octagon with more appearances expected in 2021.
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