170 Pounders Fight In Battle of the Year Candidate

Many events are decided on the flip of a coin: which one of your friends drives, who goes to war with who, and who wins between dynamic 155lbers Clay Guida and Roger Huerta. On Saturday night at The Ultimate Fighter 6 finale, the UFC will crown a new contender in the lightweight class as well as a new arrival in the welterweight fray—Mac Danzig or Tommy Speer.

By Danny Acosta

Every fighter is human, therefore can lose. But Roger Huerta and Clay Guida seem to be made of flexible steel. Endless cardio and unbreakable wills elevate the two lightweights to a stature that raises the question: “how can he lose?” The answer is unclear, making the question more compelling.

For “The Carpenter,” losses have come in the form of submissions and decisions. Guida’s vulnerability to submissions has been corrected as he avoided the submission game of Din Thomas, Tyson Griffin, and Marcus Aurelio. He went five rounds with Josh Thomson, winning a decision, and lost a split decision to Gilbert Melendez in the same amount of time. A former junior college wrestling phenom, Guida’s ground fighting still comprises the majority of his game.

The Hellhouse fighter simply needs to bring the fight to Huerta before it comes to him. While that is usually in the Chicagoan’s game plan, he demonstrated vulnerability when Melendez brought the fight first. Takedown after takedown, controlling in the top position, is Guida’s key to decisive victory.

But Roger Huerta is looking forward to more than a fight—he is looking for a scrap. The scramble is where “El Matador” has an opportunity to outmatch his opponent. While Guida will persist with takedowns, the Los Angeles-born fighter has the wrestling ability and athleticism to force the fight into a realm that favors him. Guida’s resilient style does not provide many favorable matchups, but his jerky stand-up is not impervious to an aggressive and target-busting assault like Huerta’s.

The fight is as close as reality allows. Whoever comes out on top is not shocking anyone, but a decisive victory can. Guida must attempt to pound out Huerta in top position and Huerta must work for the knockout—difficult prospects when the man standing across is incapable of quit.

In the final bout of The Ultimate Fighter season, MMA veteran Mac Danzig battles immense but raw talent Tommy Speer. Speer, the prototype farm boy, adds heavy-hands to a nightmare equation, but inexperience and Danzig’s no-quit attitude leads to an eventual opening that sees the Minnesotan fall.

Australian George Sotiropoulous was one of two favorites on the series to walk away with a contract, but in the end, he was lucky he walked away at all. A brutalizing ground and pound assault by finalist Speer left the well-rounded fighter out of running. He hopes to redeem himself against Billy Miles, who despite having the right style to defeat the Shooto one-timer, cannot show him anything he has not seen. Sotiropoulous’ mindset wins or loses him this fight.

Athletic experiments Jared Rollins and Jon Koppenhaver clash in the opening bout of the night. “War Machine” has audible mental question marks surrounding his fights, but don’t expect that to stop him against the silently troubled Rollins. Koppenhaver’s maturity should shine by putting Rollins on his back and outworking him in the standing position. That is, unless, he allows Rollins to place him on his back and break his will for three rounds to a decision.

TUF finales have been hotspots for non-stop MMA action, pitting hungry fighter against hungry fighter. But the welterweight contestants of this season have a hard act to open for as Huerta and Guida have earned their reputations for a frantic pace inside the cage. Hunger remains a factor, but composure and surprise are the essentials for every fighter on Saturday night’s card.