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Clay Guida: ‘I still feel I’m the best’ lightweight after loss to Diego Sanchez
Chris Lytle ‘wasn’t that hurt’ by Kevin Burns at TUF 9 Finale (Video)
Lyoto Machida vs Shogun Rua announced for UFC 104 on Oct. 24
TUF 9 Finale post-fight video: Joe Stevenson gets much-needed win over Nate Diaz

Clay Guida: ‘I still feel I’m the best’ lightweight after loss to Diego Sanchez

Posted: 21 Jun 2009 07:04 AM PDT

Quoteworthy:

“I still feel I’m the best out here in the lightweights. It might take me another year to get that title shot…. I gotta give [Diego Sanchez] credit. He’s one of the first guys to take me down in the cage. He didn’t really do much with it, but he still scored some points. He brought a little bit of everything, kicks, punches, takedown, takedown defense…. It’s gonna set me back a little bit, but I’m already thinking about getting back in the gym and really taking this seriously.”

Clay Guida talks about where he feels he stands in the crowded lightweight division after a tough split decision loss to Diego Sanchez at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9 Finale on June 20. It was an epic back-and-forth, edge-of-your-seat fight from start to finish that is clearly one of the best fights of the year so far. Sanchez more than likely earned himself a title shot later this year with the win, while Guida will head back to the drawing board and attempt to work his way back up the ladder. That will happen sooner rather than later, according to Guida, who is already talking about getting back in the gym and getting “serious.” This guy is crazy.

Chris Lytle ‘wasn’t that hurt’ by Kevin Burns at TUF 9 Finale (Video)

Posted: 21 Jun 2009 06:49 AM PDT

It was odd to see the iron-chinned “Lights Out” dimmed last night, but he says it wasn’t that serious:

Lyoto Machida vs Shogun Rua announced for UFC 104 on Oct. 24

Posted: 21 Jun 2009 06:44 AM PDT

It’s time for some Brazilian-on-Brazilian crime.

Ultimate Fighting Championship finally confirmed a much earlier MMAmania.com report that a light heavyweight title fight between newly-minted champion Lyoto Machida (15-0) and 2005 Pride FC Middleweight Grand Prix winner Mauricio Rua (18-3) is booked for UFC 104 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on October 24.

"Shogun" is coming off a first round technical knockout of former 205-pound champion, Chuck Liddell, at UFC 97: "Redemption" last month. He defeated Mark Coleman via third round technical knockout in a lackluster performance earlier this year at UFC 93: "Franklin vs. Henderson" to earn a crack at the "Iceman."

It's perhaps not the match up that most fans expected, especially when UFC President Dana White was quick to announce that Quinton "Rampage" Jackson would be the first to challenge Machida for his newly-won world title. But that all went out the window a few days later when Jackson apparently pressed UFC officials to settle a score with Rashad Evans via The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 first rather than compete to get his belt back.

That left “The Dragon” — who flattened Evans at UFC 98 to win the belt — all of a sudden without a number one contender … until now.

Despite his recent success, some UFC fans still aren’t sold on the abilities of Rua, who must now muster up some of the mojo he had during his blistering run in PRIDE to try and overcome an opponent who went from tentative to homicidal in the span of three figthts.

Machida will also try to stop the revolving door that has continued to spin atop the division afterChuckLiddell coughed up the 205-pound belt just over two years ago. In fact since May of 2007, the light heavyweight title has changed hands a total of four times.

No question Rua will be looking to make it five.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more details on UFC 104 as they develop.

TUF 9 Finale post-fight video: Joe Stevenson gets much-needed win over Nate Diaz

Posted: 21 Jun 2009 06:30 AM PDT

Despite being made fun of inside the Octagon: