Rafa Garcia beat UFC legend Clay Guida in their lightweight bout at UFC Kansas City. Guida returned against rising contender Rafa Garcia to open the main card at Kansas City. In a fight that went the distance, Garcia did enough to beat the ever-defiant Guida on the scorecards.
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At 41 years of age, Guida is one of the legendary stars still active on the UFC roster. ‘The Carpenter’ came to Kansas with a massive 18-16 UFC record. That record holds names of stars from different generations – from BJ Penn to current stars like Charles Oliveira. He also holds wins over the likes of Rafael dos Anjos and Anthony Pettis to name a few. His last win was against Scott Holtzmann in December 2022.
His opponent, the 28-year-old Rafa Garcia had also made a name for himself. The Mexican boasted a 15-3 record coming into the fight. With a 3-3 record in the UFC, ‘Gifted’ wanted to go on a two-fight win streak with a win over the veteran.
Fans react to Clay Guida vs. Rafa Garcia at UFC Kansas City 2023
The fight between the young lion and the aging legend at UFC Kansas City was more competitive than many would have expected. The former Strikeforce lightweight champion Guida showed an enormous amount of resilience. However, it was not enough as Garcia put on a dominant performance to earn a 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards.
Both fighters showed respect for each other and traded their gloves after the fight, at the request of Garcia. Fans on Twitter had quite a few reactions to Guida’s performance against Garcia.
LOL. Clay Guida tricked us all, and he calls for the glove exchange!!!! Yes!!!!
Let's get this damn tradition going, fighters. Trade gloves. Trade jerseys. Love it!!! #UFCKansasCity
— John Morgan (@JohnMorgan_MMA) April 16, 2023
Guida played us all! He wants to swap gloves with Garcia as a sign of respect. We've got some more fights still to come from "The Carpenter" #UFCKansasCity
— Simon Head (@simonhead) April 16, 2023
"DC I tricked you guys, ain't no way I'm walking away yet. I want to congratulate Rafa Garcia. I want to trade gloves with you man." – Clay Guida #UFCKansasCity
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) April 16, 2023
Bruce Buffer just announced he is retiring after tonight’s fights. #UFCKC
— MMA Roasted (@MMARoasted) April 16, 2023
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Well nvm. Guida tricked us
— The Octagon Obsessed (@octagonobsessed) April 16, 2023
Guida took his gloves off after the match. When Daniel Cormier asked if he was retiring, a cheeky Guida said he just wanted to trade gloves with his opponent.
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What did you guys think of Guida vs. Garcia? Did you think Guida was going to retire? Let us know in the comments below.
