Clay Guida is likely one of the extra revered, revered MMA fighters of the final 20-plus years, however he’s donning the singlet as soon as once more at RAF 6 and does so on February twenty eighth. ‘The Carpenter’ will conflict with Keelon Jimison, and when addressing how he’s doing heading into this distinctive contest for Actual American Freestyle, Guida stated [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Dylan, I’m doing very nicely. Thanks a lot for the superior intro. I actually recognize that. [laughs] Yeah, it’s laborious to imagine, man. You stated yeah, 20 years, man, or 20 plus years. It doesn’t appear that lengthy. It goes by fast. Yeah, it’s fairly cool to have the ability to sort of; I say my profession’s sort of come full circle. You recognize, we began wrestling at a younger age, then I wrestled in school, then transitioned to MMA.”
“For a few of people who know or don’t know, we sort of hung up the gloves, in 2025. Now we picked up our wrestling footwear once more right here in 2026 or on the finish of 2025. Now heading into our second RAF occasion coming Saturday evening dwell from Tempe, Arizona. Man, it’s going to be superior.”
Some had been not sure if there was a return plan to MMA for Guida after being launched by the UFC after a prolonged tenure. When requested if he was formally hanging up the gloves and simply placing on the wrestling singlet now, Guida acknowledged [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Certain. You recognize, I’m not fully in opposition to having one other struggle. Simply it in all probability wouldn’t be underneath the UFC banner sadly. Beloved competing for them, , it was superb, however you understand how it’s. You bought to struggle your method again in there as nicely, what I imply, to get again underneath contract with them.”
“Which is deservedly so and that’s the way it needs to be. However yeah, if there was a struggle that made sense in opposition to a formidable opponent and timing sensible, yeah, I’m undoubtedly not in opposition to it. However within the meantime, we’ve been having a number of enjoyable getting again to our wrestling roots and yeah, being again within the wrestling gymnasium, man. It’s been superior.”
Clay Guida says RAF “provides [wrestlers] that area to dwell out their childhood goals”
RAF has been giving skilled alternatives the place wrestlers with a terrific newbie wrestling base don’t must go proper into MMA to make some money. When touching upon what Actual American Freestyle is doing to create extra pathways for high quality wrestlers to precise their craft on an expert athletics stage, Guida quipped [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Completely. To me, that’s the larger image on this. For these younger up and comers, for the game of wrestling, for women and men, it provides them one other avenue. As a result of right here’s the deal, not everyone desires to go get in a cage and get punched and kicked within the head to make a dwelling, to have enjoyable, for no matter. Not everyone desires to enter skilled wrestling and go soar off a 4 foot high rope and get landed on or land on somebody that’s 250 or 300 lbs, , an enormous athlete.”
“So, that’s not for everyone. On the identical token too, not everybody’s going to be an Olympian. Or be an Olympic gold medalist or medalist and be capable of possibly make a dwelling off of their identify, their endorsements, their efficiency, and issues like that, too.”
“So RAF has actually been that avenue, been that platform for athletes like myself and different up-and-coming wrestlers or different established wrestlers that wish to nonetheless compete professionally however not in a sure area. So this offers them that area to dwell out their childhood goals and say, “Hey, I’m an expert wrestler, .”
