UFC Fight Night profiles: Clay Guida vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri

Sport360 staff 20:18 27/03/2014
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  • Close match-up: Guida (l) and Kawajiri (r) will star on the co-event in Abu Dhabi.

    The co-main event at UFC Fight Night: Abu Dhabi is a battle of the featherweights as Clay Guida takes on Tatsuya Kawajiri. 

    Guida, aka The Carpenter, has been part of the UFC since 2006 and is currently ranked No9 in the UFC Featherweight division. Once described as one of the most exciting fighters in the organisation for his fearless, offensive style, Guida has altered to a more defensive style in recent fights.

    Half of the American's professional victories have come by submission, 33% by decision, and the remaining 17% by KO. Known for his iron chin, Guida has only been knocked out once in his career; in his last outing against Chad Mendes at UFC 164 in August last year. 

    The showdown with Kawajiri will be Guida's chance to rectify his previous defeat and silence the critics that are unimpressed by his new fighting style.

    While Guida is a seasoned UFC professional with over seven years experience, Kawajiri is a newcomer to the organisation having made his UFC debut in January. Currently ranked No12 in the featherweight division, Kawajiri's fightplan is focused on a ground and pound strategy.

    Kawajiri's professional victories are evenly spread across KO (36%), submission (30%), and decision (33%) and he is sure to go on the attack against a defensive-minded Guida.

    Sport360 prediction: On paper, this should be one of the closest fights of the night. Guida's switch from a relentless, unflinching attacker to a more defensive style could work against him as Kawajiri attempts to take the fight to the ground. A tough one to predict, but we're going for Kawajiri to prevail on decision.

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