Joaquim Silva will be facing a giant in Clay Guida, but the younger fighter is confident he can take down the opponent by the second or third round of their bout.
The two will be one of the fights to expect this weekend at UFC on ESPN 52 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The two is one of the bouts included in the event’s main card, with Silva (12-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) taking on Guida (38-20 MMA, 18-17 UFC).
Both fighters are coming from their respective losses over their last opponents. Guida lost to Rafa Garcia via unanimous decision in April, while Silva was defeated by Arman Tsarukyan via TKO in June. And although both fighters have records of alternating wins and losses, Guida has a longer track record as a veteran in the UFC. Silva acknowledged the veteran’s ability in the pre-fight news conference this Wednesday.
“Clay Guida is a very tough guy,” Silva said. “It’s very difficult to fight him because he moves a lot and uses a lot of energy to fight.
“He’s 41, he has good conditioning and it’s hard to fight him. But I’m prepared for this fight. I love this guy. I’ve watched this guy my whole life, and I’m very excited for Saturday night.”
Despite this, Silva is confident he can handle the veteran inside the cage. The young fighter didn’t share plans to end the fight via KO or submission but said that he “prepared” for all three rounds. According to Silva, the goal is to end the bout by the second or third round.
“I prepared for three rounds,” Silva said. “But I think second round, I hit him and I use my condition for this fight. I think the second or the last round, I finish the fight. This is my plan.”
