UFC on FOX: Ben Henderson vs Clay Guida Head-to-Toe Breakdown

Definitely a fight deserving of some air time at this weekend's UFC on FOX 1, the lightweight bout between former WEC Lightweight champion Ben Henderson and Clay Guida will unfortunately be relegated to exciting viewers on Facebook and FoxSports.com.

This battle of top contenders will likely culminate in the winner earning a shot at current UFC Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

Both Henderson and Guida, known for their fast-paced fighting styles, will look to take the top spot and earn a chance at the champion as they fight at one of the biggest events in UFC history.

Here is the head-to-toe breakdown of this sure to be exciting match-up.

Striking

One of the most dynamic fighters in the division, Ben Henderson is an avid striker with great punches and kicks stemming from his Tae Kwon Do background.

Although he is not a knockout artist, Henderson uses his strikes to effectively set up his clinch and ground games. His biggest win via strikes came at WEC 40 when he finished Shane Roller less than two minutes into the first round.

As for Clay Guida, his style of striking is not as crisp and more akin to a brawler.  He is often coaxed into all-out, stand-up wars where his wild punches usually get him in trouble, most notably against Diego Sanchez in 2009.

The advantage here is clear.

Advantage: Henderson

Wrestling

One of Guida's biggest assets is his aggressive wrestling skills.

Preferring to take top control against his opponent's, Guida has the ability to grind out wins or use his wrestling to open up chances for submission attempts.

This was a huge factor in his battle with former WEC Lightweight champion Anthony Pettis who also happens to be the last man to defeat Henderson.

Henderson has solid wrestling skills himself, having been an NAIA All-American on the amateur wrestling circuit.

Although both fighters have great takedowns and top control, Guida has the edge in this category.

Advantage: Guida

Submission

Both Guida and Henderson are fantastic submission artists with both fighters having more than half their victories coming via tap out.

For Guida, 15 of his 29 wins are by submission, most recently against Pride legend Takanori Gomi at UFC 125.  The guillotine choke win also earned Guida Submission of the Night honors.

Henderson, a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has vicious chokes that has put away the likes of Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone to claim and defend his former WEC Lightweight title.

Henderson's guillotine choke has become a signature finish of his and is almost impossible to escape.

Because of this, Henderson has the slight edge.

Advantage: Henderson

Strength

Competing at only 155 lbs., Henderson is one of the more imposing lightweights in the division.

Sporting a muscular frame and a ripped physique, Henderson uses his strength to his advantage, often pushing his opponent's around.

Guida is no slouch, but does not have the same size advantage as Henderson.

Advantage: Henderson

Cardio

What Guida lacks in strength, he makes up for it with his amazing cardio.

It is nearly impossible to tire this guy out, seemingly as fresh in the last round as he is in the first.

Guida's cardio is one of his biggest advantages. He will never stop pushing the pace and refuses to slow down, even in the later rounds.

Henderson has great cardio too, but Guida is on another level.

Advantage: Guida

Experience

A former Strikeforce champion and a long-time UFC veteran, Guida has faced some of the best in the world in his long career inside the Octagon.

Taking on everyone from current Strikeforce Lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez to former top contenders Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez, Anthony Pettis and Tyson Griffin, just to name a few, Guida is not afraid to fight anyone.

Henderson has faced solid competition in his short career, but Guida's years of experience will definitely be in his favor.

Advantage: Guida

Variables

Henderson: For the former WEC Lightweight champion, this is his chance to solidify himself in the upper echelon of the lightweight division.  

Having just come off the biggest win of his life over what many considered the top contender in Jim Miller, Henderson will definitely grab the attention of onlookers if he can defeat Clay Guida.

A big factor will be his takedown defense and cardio.  If he can make Guida play his game, he should have no trouble taking the win.

Guida: For Guida, this will be a telling moment in his career.

Can he win a big fight and finally fight for the title? That's the question everyone will be asking leading up to this fight.

Guida will likely look to take the fight to the ground, but with so many of his defeats coming via submission, he'll have to stay weary of Henderson's solid Jiu-Jitsu.

He will also have to make sure that he does not get frustrated by Henderson's striking. If Guida goes into brawling mode, it may be a short night for this surging lightweight contender.

Prediction

One of the biggest factors in the fight will be who can establish their game plan first.

Henderson will likely want to keep the fight standing as he has a huge advantage in this department.  Guida will look for another smothering victory and try to submit the former WEC champion on the ground.

But as we've seen in the past, Henderson is one of the hardest people to submit as he refuses to tap, no matter how deep a submission may be locked in.  Not only his he hard to tap out, but his own submissions are devastating.

The big factor in this fight, if it goes to the ground, will be Henderson's Jiu-Jitsu.  

Whether he takes a decision via his striking or uses his savvy ground skills, Henderson will likely get the win in this match-up.

Prediction: Henderson via submission (second round).

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