Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida to Be Inducted into UFC Hall of Fame ‘Fight Wing’

A performance worthy of the #UFCHoF!@DiegoSanchezUFC vs @ClayGuida enters the Hall of Fame July 5.

Tickets on-sale now https://t.co/3Qy1psGqoh @ToyoTires pic.twitter.com/yPlxWQBsSo

— UFC (@ufc) June 9, 2019

Throughout their mixed martial arts careers, both Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida have been known bringing an all-out mentality to the Octagon. That made for a night to remember when they were locked inside the same cage.

The bout between Sanchez and Guida at “The Ultimate Fighter 9” finale will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s “Fight Wing” on July 5 at the Pearl at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas. The induction ceremony will stream on UFC Fight Pass at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

“There are certain guys that when you match them up, there’s no doubt in your mind that it’s going to be a good fight, and this was one of those fights,” UFC President Dana White said. “This fight represents everything that fans around the world love about UFC and the sport of mixed martial arts. Diego and Clay are two maniacs and as soon as the fight began, they both came out blasting each other, it was crazy. This was an absolute war and both guys gave everything they had for all three rounds.

“It is one of the best displays of heart, endurance and will to win that you will ever see. Congratulations to Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida on a fight that will always be remembered as one of the best ever.”

Sanchez and Guida squared off in the “TUF 9” finale headliner at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on June 20, 2009. Sanchez set the tone for the bout with a furious offensive assault that included a head kick that floored Guida in the opening frame. “The Carpenter” survived an aggressive start from Sanchez and rallied to impose his will through takedowns and ground-and-pound in the second period. The competitive final frame featured a scramble that left Guida in top position as Sanchez attempted to secure an armbar and a kimura from the bottom.

A bloodied Guida survived until the final horn. However, Sanchez earned scorecards of 29-27 and 29-28 from two cageside judges, while a third saw it 29-28 for Guida, giving “The Nightmare” a hard-earned split decision triumph in a contest that many saw as “Fight of the Year” for 2009.

“The fight with Guida was really fun,” Sanchez said. “My mentality was that it was time to get street on this wrestler and that’s exactly what I did.”

Added Guida: “When you take a rampaging beast like Diego Sanchez, and a wild Tasmanian devil like me, you get a recipe for Fight of the Year, and that’s what we gave UFC fans that night. The fans were the true winners and they deserved it more than anyone. Thank you for inducting this prolific battle into the UFC Hall of Fame. On behalf of my team, family, and friends that helped us prepare for that fight, we are truly honored.” 

Other inductees into the UFC Hall of Fame “Fight Wing” include Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar (“TUF 1” finale), Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson (UFC 139), Mark Coleman vs. Pete Williams (UFC 17) and Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg 2 (UFC 52).