Afternoon Delight: Guida vs. Kawajiri Could Take the Daytime Spotlight at UFC Fight Night 39

By Raphael Garcia

Held in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, UFC Fight Night 39 will be taking place at an odd time for most mixed martial arts fans, but that shouldn’t take away from the importance of the event’s matchups. Although a heavyweight contest pitting “Minotauro” Nogueira against Roy “Big Country” Nelson will occupy the main event slot, the featherweight bout between Clay Guida and Tatsuya Kawajiri could have the most at stake, and may be the most intriguing fight on the whole card.

Guida vs. Kawajiri represents the type of style pairing that immediately raises eyebrows as a “Fight of the Night” candidate. With a combined 63 wins between them, both are longtime competitors who may be nearing the end of their runs, but still have a lot to offer to the 145-pound division.

Kawajiri is one of the newest faces in the UFC’s featherweight division, but after an Octagon debut that saw him push his current win streak to six, he should be viewed as a potential contender for the UFC’s featherweight title. However, because most of his accolades were earned in Asia, there are questions about Kawajiri’s ability to get past the top names in the weight class. Regardless, in terms of international name recognition alone, “Crusher” is still a valuable commodity for the UFC in today’s mixed martial arts landscape.

Well-known for his lightweight slugfests in Shooto, DREAM, and Strikeforce, Kawajiri should be able to create an exciting fight by forcing the action. Some of his most acclaimed bouts are those in which he went down in a blaze of glory, throwing strikes. Both Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez were able to finish the Japanese star via TKO, but even in those brief skirmishes, fans were left screaming for more. His diverse, attacking style is captivating to watch, especially when his opponent decides to stand in the pocket and exchange.

Pairing him with Guida could create an explosive contest, or a stultifying one, depending on the version of “The Carpenter” that shows up. Guida has put on “Fight of the Year” contenders in bouts with Diego Sanchez, Roger Huerta, and Benson Henderson — all bouts that he found himself on the losing side of. And because Guida has one victory in his last four fights, there are questions about whether he could end up on the chopping block if he doesn’t get his hand raised on Friday. That could lead to him fighting cautiously and tentatively, and one need only recall his UFC on FX 4 fight against Gray Maynard for an example of how poorly Guida’s style can come across when he does his bob and weave dance without truly engaging his opponent. Kawajiri is the type of fighter that moves forward and looks for intense exchanges, which was right up Guida’s alley at one point in time. If Guida does meet Kawajiri’s intensity with intensity of his own, he could preserve his spot on the roster, even in defeat.

If Kawajiri wins in impressive fashion, he could find himself just a couple of wins away from a title shot. This would be mostly due to the fact that the UFC praises fighters that battle with his style, whether or not they’ve run the full gauntlet that the division has to offer. Kawajiri’s standing shouldn’t suffer that much if he is unable to get the win, but as mentioned, Guida could be on his way out of the UFC. He is still far off from being considered anything more than a gatekeeper at this point, but with an impressive showing, particularly in a win, Guida would likely escape the UFC’s “pink slip derby” for an extended period of time.

Even though most people will be at work while the fighters are going to battle, UFC Fight Night 39 will have fights well worth watching later in the weekend on UFC Fight Pass. The card’s co-main event is the most enticing battle the event has to offer, as the matchup between Clay Guida and Tatsuya Kawajiri has the potential to wow the crowd, and change the course of both fighters’ UFC careers.