B.J. Penn vs. Clay Guida targeted for UFC 237 in Brazil
Two UFC veterans will battle inside the Octagon in Rio de Janeiro.
Former lightweight and welterweight champion B.J. Penn will return to the Octagon one more time on May 11, as he takes on Clay Guida at the UFC 237 pay-per-view show in Brazil, multiple sources told MMA Fighting.
Penn (16-13-2), who did his last training camp at Rio’s Nova Uniao, competed for the last time in the city in 2000, when he became the first non-Brazilian to ever win a gold medal in a jiu-jitsu world champion.
The Hawaiian star is looking to snap a six-fight looking skid dating back to 2011, capped off by a loss to Ryan Hall in December. Prior to that — and a majority draw with Jon Fitch —, “The Prodigy” scored his last win in a 21-second knockout over Matt Hughes in Nov. 2010.
Guida (34-18) fought for the last time in June 2018, tapping to a guillotine choke against Charles Oliveira. “The Carpenter” had won back-to-back bouts prior to that defeat, knocking out Joe Lauzon in 67 seconds and defeating Erik Koch via decision.
Entering the eight-sided cage for the 27th time since 2006, Guida holds wins over future UFC champions like Rafael dos Anjos and Anthony Pettis and fellow veterans like Nate Diaz, Takanori Gomi, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Hatsu Hioki.
UFC 237 is currently slated to feature Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade as the headliner at the Jeunesse Arena.