Clay Guida - photo by Brent Todd

On Tuesday night at MMA Stop Fitness, Clay Guida hosted a Chael Sonnen MMA seminar to selected gym members. Guida was kind enough to answer a few questions during Sonnen’s workout.

What do we have going on here tonight Clay?

“Cheal Sonnen is in the middle of a workout. He just finished a great seminar with a lot of good feedback and great turnout. People are still here watching him sweat.”

Do you think that it is unusual for him to hold a seminar so close to his fight on Saturday?

“Hey, you know, whatever he thinks helps him out getting ready for the fight. That’s what we’re all about. If he is okay with it, then more power to him. He is very supportive of the wrestling community and MMA fitness scene. That is what we are based on here at MMA Stop Fitness. It’s about building a healthy lifestyle and a clean atmosphere for kids and adults who like to workout. It’s great to have a such a great ambassador of the sport come to support that.”

You made the decision to make this gym more family oriented instead of a gym geared towards the pro fighter. What was the reason behind that?

“MMA is a growing sport and we see kids start sports earlier. Not every kid wants to play soccer, baseball, softball, volleyball or football maybe they want to MMA and maybe there is that mom out there that doesn’t want to jump on the treadmill, but wants to hit the heavy bag or go to a cardio kickboxing class. We have a lot of different options with personal training, wrestling, yoga, cardio kick boxing, BJJ, MT kickboxing, a very wide variety of fitness options. Come and try it out to see if they like it!”

How did this connection with Sonnen come about; are the two of you friends outside of the Octagon?

“Yeah, we’re friends and we’re wrestlers. I’ve watched him for years and we are getting towards that belt. It’s so nice of him and I can’t thank him enough to come in to our gym the day he landed. Keep in mind he just flew from Oregon today, dropped his bags off at the hotel in downtown Chicago and drove with my business partner all the way out here. It’s pretty amazing. I am behind him 110% on his trip to the title and I thank him and his camp for coming out here tonight.”

So, I can assume you think Sonnen will win his fight on Saturday?

“Absolutely! This is a custom-made fight for Chael to ground and pound 101. He teaches it at seminars and preforms in the cage better than anybody. It’s a tough match-up for both of them. You’ve never seen Bisping get dominated in a fight. The only one that comes to mind is that brutal knockout by Dan Henderson, but you saw him fight Rashad Evans and that was a close fight. You saw him lose to Wanderli Silva and that was a very close fight, so he never really gets beaten up too bad in the cage. It’s going to be a good fight on both ends, but I gotta go with the wrester, my friend.”

How does Chael Sonnen win this fight?

“TKO in the second round.”

Chris Weidman vs. Demian Maia?

“I’m going to go with the young up-and-comer, Chris Weidman, east coast wrestler and a really tough kid. He is undefeated in MMA, and I think he is going to show Demian, who is a friend of mine, what wrestling and ground-and-pound is all about. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him submit a guy.”

Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis for the main event on FOX?

“As far as the main event goes; Evans vs. Davis is going to be a great fight! Two highly skilled wresters, sometimes they cancel each other out, but I think this fight is going to be pretty exciting. I’m going to take Evans in a close decision, based on octagon experience.”

Your take on Jim Miller vs. Melvin Guillard from UFC on FX 1?

“Jim looked great especially coming back after a tough loss to Ben Henderson which was pretty much a one-sided fight. To take the fight to the ground the way he did; it shows that he is a gamer and a smart fighter and he bounces back from a tough loss. Guillard, one of my teammates, needs to get in the gym and work on his grounds skills a little bit.”

Did you hear that Guillard was not unhappy with his performance?

“If I lost in the fight, I would be a little bit upset. The fight was pretty close until then. Once he got it to the ground it was over instantly. Guillard is a tough kid, he just needs to get in there and work on the ground a little more.”

UFC 144 will return to Japan for the lightweight title bout with Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson. What’s your take on that fight?

“It’s going to be a great fight with two guys that I look up to in this sport. Henderson took my title shot away, but it’s not going to be for long. I’m going to be right back in there. Edgar is one of my heros and I’m really excited to see this fight. You got the little guy in Edgar who always finds away to win. People keep counting him out, but time-and-time again he surprises people. It lets you know that hard work and dedication will prevail. I think Edgar will win if he can keep the fight in the center of the Octagon and dance around. Land his one-twos (jab, cross punches) and use his takedowns. If Henderson pushes him against the cage and clinches him up, it will slow Edgar down and fight on his pace, Henderson will ‘eek out’ a decision. I’m going to stick with the champ on this one.

What is it going to take to put you back in the mix at lightweight?

“Putting in a really hard camp like we always do. Work on a few more difficult positions that I struggled on in the fight with Henderson. Get back to the old wrestling ways. Win one or two more and I’ll be right back in the mix.”

Did you hear that Pat Barry is not going to shave the top of his head until he records a submission victory inside the Octagon? He said that he might become the next Clay Guida.

“Barry is my buddy and apparently he wants a ‘heavyweight mullet.’ I rock a pretty good mullet from what I hear. Pat is awesome and I’m really excited for his victory especially after coming back from a couple of tough losses. It’s good to see him back in the mix and he’s a very colorful and happy person. Great competitor so it’s great to see him back. Great job Pat.”

Anything else that you would like to add before we wrap up?

“I want to thank Chael Sonnen once again and more importantly I want to thank everyone who came out tonight and showed their support on a Tuesday evening here at MMA Stop Fitness in Crest Hill. Also, don’t miss that we have Uriah Faber coming by on Friday at 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. He will be doing a seminar and an autograph signing. Also, want to thank MMA Recap, Muscle Farm, MMA Stop Fitness, Safe Auto and DVS Shoe Company. The fights are going to be awesome this Saturday night on FOX.”

MMA Stop Fitness Facebook Page

Clay Guida’s Official Facebook Page

MMA Stop Fitness is located at 16101 Weber Road, Crest Hill, IL.

Chael Sonnen Clay Guida Clay Guida's MMA Stop Fitness MMA Stop Fitness UFC Uriah Faber