UFC Vegas 34 is coming your way this Saturday night. The main event will be between Middleweights Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum, but before that, Lightweights Clay Guida and Mark Madsen will be going at it in what should be an entertaining battle. Guida (36-17-0) has been fighting for what seems like forever. He's been around for so long that it's amazing to get reminded from time to time that he's still active. Meanwhile, Madsen (10-0-0)is a relatively new fighter, who is looking to gain even more recognition in the division.
Here’s how the sportsbooks have set the odds for the co-main event of the evening.
UFC Vegas 34 odds: Clay Guida-Mark Madsen odds
Clay Guida(+135)
Mark Madsen (-155)
Over 2.5 rounds (-225)
Under 2.5 rounds (+185)
How Clay Guida wins the fight
Some of you might be surprised to know that “The Carpenter” is still in the fight game after all these years. At 39, Guida's best days are way behind him, but he still radiates with charisma that the UFC continues to get him fights. The last time he stepped inside the Octagon, Guida managed to score a unanimous decision victory over Michael Johnson back in February.
That win snapped Guida's two-fight losing streak and gave his long-shot dreams of getting a UFC title match a nice shot in the arm. Guida got out got outlanded in terms of significant strikes in that fight (58-49) but he made up for it with his wrestling. He scored three takedowns while avoiding getting sent to the canvas by Johnson. The wrestling is definitely still there for Guida, and while Madsen is a wrestler himself, the former has seen it all in his career. Madsen is coming off a fight in which he recorded eight takedowns, but there's no way he's going to bully a fighter like Guida that way this Saturday night.
How Mark Madsen wins the fight
First of all, we are not talking about a two-time NBA champion here. This Mark Madsen, however, is just as aggressive in his chosen sport as the former Los Angeles Lakers was on the basketball court. Madsen is only three years the junior of Guida, but the mileage of their bodies are oceans apart. Madsen only has only been in a total of 10 fights since turning pro in 2013, while Guida has *uses a calculator* fought in 53 fights (mostly in the UFC). That's not to mention the brutal nature of many of those Guida fights. One could only imagine just how much gas is left in his tank.
Madsen also has yet to suffer a loss. In his last UFC fight, he registered a unanimous decision win against Austin Hubbard in March 2020. That was over a year ago, so his body has had plenty of time to recover from that showdown unlike Guida, who is already set to enter his second fight of the year. Madsen owns a slight two-inch reach advantage over Guida and he plans to capitalize on that when he's looking to score points standing up. Guida's striking defense has been porous of late, as he's been outlanded 185-72 in his last two fights. That's music to the ears of Madsen, who has three wins by way of knockouts.
Clay Guida-Mark Madsen prediction & pick
This is an intriguing matchup between two old UFC fighters with different mileages, as mentioned earlier. There's nothing much in terms of stylistic differences, but Madsen just seems to be fresher and more confident. He's got the tools to frustrate Guida's game plan, so it will all just come down to whether he can execute it.
FINAL CLAY GUIDA-MARK MADSEN PICK: Mark Madsen wins via unanimous decision.
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