UFC on Fox: Ben Henderson Will Maul Clay Guida to Become No. 1 Contender

Ben Henderson will run through Clay Guida tonight en route to gaining his first shot at the UFC lightweight championship.

Both Henderson and Guida push a fierce pace with Guida being the best in the lightweight division when it comes to cardio, but cardio won’t come into play when these two square off.

Henderson will finish Guida with a submission in the second round, and with the victory, he’ll solidify his No. 1 contendership for Frankie Edgar’s belt.

I wanted to pick Guida in this fight, but I’ve seen this story before. Time and time again, Guida will make these spurts and get close to fighting for the championship. That is right before he ends up getting defeated.

Guida had his chance to state his claim when he fought Diego Sanchez in 2009, but Sanchez won the fight, and then Guida lost another against Kenny Florian.

Guida’s track record for getting that No. 1 contendership, and Henderson’s previous performance, have me thinking that Henderson will run right through Guida.

Guida’s a great fighter, don’t get me wrong. He’s as tough as they come, but Henderson looks like he’s really finding his groove. His loss to Anthony Pettis could have been the greatest thing to ever happen to him.

He looks refocused, re-motivated and basically looks like hell on wheels.

The way he dominated Jim Miller is something fight fans have never seen before. Sure, Miller has lost to both Gray Maynard and Edgar in the past, but not in that fashion.

It was a straight-up beatdown, with Henderson announcing to the rest of the world that he’s here, and he’s here to stay.

I just think Henderson has the better standup between these two, and the better submission skills. Guida’s no slouch in either department, but Henderson is going to show the world that he’s in another class.