Tomorrow night in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 34 we will see a fun matchup between grapplers at 155 pounds. Fan favorite Clay Guida (36-20) is back as he’s taking on former Olympic Silver Medalist, Mark Madsen (10-0).
The last time we saw the Carpenter was back in February when he took on former Ultimate Fighter finalist Michael Johnson. Both men were entering the contest on losing streaks so a win was a must-need. Guida was able to pick up the unanimous decision victory.
The Carpenter has been with the UFC since 2006 and he seems as lively as ever. After his win over Michael Johnson, Guida said that he wanted the UFC to give him some contenders so he can start climbing the division.
The promotion obliged in giving him Mark Madsen. Madsen will be making his third appearance with the UFC. He hasn’t fought since March of 2020 due to some injuries, but he’s back and ready to go.
Madsen defeated Austin Hubbard at UFC 248 in his last fight to advance to 2-0 in the octagon. The former Silver Medalist in Greco Roman is ready to get the biggest win of his MMA career tomorrow night.
UFC Vegas 34 Prediction
I’m very intrigued by this matchup in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 34. On one hand, you can think of this as a matchup between grapplers where one man has far more credentials than the other.
Guida has long been known for his wrestling. However, Madsen is just on another level in terms of grappling. We don’t see many Olympic Medalists in the UFC and when we do, they usually do very well.
While Guida normally likes to wrestle, he should try to keep this fight at distance. We’ve seen some sharp striking from Guida in the past, and his unorthodox movements could cause Madsen some problems.
If Madsen is able to get Guida against the fence or in a grappling position for two of these rounds, he’s going to pickup his third UFC win. I just don’t see Guida being able to outgrapple him.
However, Guida has the massive advantage in terms of cardio and he knows how to score points. I do believe you’re going to see Madsen have some success, but something tells me Guida is going to score more on the feet. In the third round, I really like Guida’s activity. Call me crazy, but I’m going with Clay Guida in a razor close fight.
Prediction: Clay Guida by Split Decision