Longtime UFC lightweight veterans Clay Guida (35-18, 7 KOs, 13 SUBs) and Jim Miller (30-13, 4 KOs, 16 SUBs) will meet at UFC on ESPN 5 on Saturday, August 3, 2019 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The card airs live on ESPN starting 3pm ET.
When it comes to distinguished UFC fighters who’ve had long, decorated careers without ever fighting for the title, Jim Miller and Clay Guida are two lightweight names that immediately come to mind. Both men have had their fair share of memorable fights and at some point were considered top-15 guys.
But nowadays, both Miller and Guida are nearing the end of storied careers. With each man now fodder for younger guys to use as stepping stones, it makes sense that they fight each other. For starters, it’s already amazing that they’ve never fought each other: Guida has fought 27 times inside the octagon, Miller is at 32 UFC appearances. Both are far past their primes, but still capable of putting on fun fights.
It’s fair to consider this a Loser Leaves Town Match. Neither guy really has more than a few more relevant fights in them, and we doubt that they want to fade into irrelevance even further. What’s more, it’s a winnable scrap on both sides. The UFC odds at the BookMaker online sportsbook set competitive odds, so let’s take a look and break down your best betting options. Live UFC betting is available as well to hedge your bets between rounds.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Jim Miller -180
Clay Guida +143
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: -155 / +115
Significant Stirking Stats
Landed per minute: Miller 2.78 / Guida 2.41
Accuracy: Miller 40% / Guida 32%
Absorbed per minute: Miller 2.88 / Guida 2.78
Defense: Miller 59% / Guida 65%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Miller 1.69 / Guida 3.11
Takedown accuracy: Miller 41% / Guida 36%
Takedown defense: Miller 47% / Guida 69%
Submission average: Miller 1.88 / Guida 0.69
Bet this UFC fight at the online sportsbook
It’s extremely difficult to predict how either Miller or Guida will perform these days. Miller reached higher heights, but since 2017 he’s only managed a 2-5 record. Of course, the 35-year old is still facing top competition, with recent losses coming against fighters like Charles Oliveira, Dan Hooker, Francisco Trinaldo, Anthony Pettis and Dustin Poirier - all highly regarded lightweights and a champion in that mix.
While he’s no longer an upper-tier fighter, Miller is still one of the more well-rounded fighters in a loaded division. His kickboxing is still not the greatest, but he can get the job done if needed. Where he really shines is in the grappling department, but he’s never really been a strong enough wrestler to get people to the mat at will.
Guida’s move to Team Alpha Male a few years back seems to have given him new life, but at the end of the day this is still an aging fighter tons of miles on his body. The good news is that his striking - once a major weakness - has never looked better. The bad news is that he’s still not a great kickboxer in that area. Guida’s bread-and-butter is his wrestling, but his waning physical abilities makes him less likely to impose that part of his game.
UFC Odds Pick: Miller to win at -180
Tough call here. Guida is 3-1 in his last four, but he hasn’t been fighting the level of competition that Miller has. We see Miller taking control of the standup, and shucking off Guida’s takedown attempts to earn the win.
UFC Odds Pick: Fight doesn’t go to decision +115
Both men go hard, but have tons of miles on their bodies. That’s a recipe for a stoppage, and we love the fact that you get plus odds on that. A small bet on this prop makes some sense, given that Miller’s last four fights have been stopped in some way.
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