Sherdog’s Top 10: Non Pay-Per-View Main Events

Roger Huerta peaked in his 2007 win over Clay Guida. | Photo: D. Mandel/Sherdog.com

9. Roger Huerta vs. Clay Guida
“The Ultimate Fighter 6” Finale | Dec. 8, 2007 -- Las Vegas
Spike TV
Guida has come under fire for performances in recent bouts against the likes of Anthony Pettis, Gray Maynard and Hatsu Hioki, as his blend of herky-jerky movement and top-control wrestling prowess has not made for the most crowd-pleasing affairs. To remember what made “The Carpenter” such a fan favorite in the first place, one need only travel back to his battle with Huerta, who at the time was unbeaten in the promotion and regarded as one of the lightweight division’s more intriguing potential stars.

Guida took down Huerta repeatedly in the bout’s first 10 minutes, and at one point, it appeared that “El Matador” even took a moment to admire himself on the video monitor. On the feet, both men threw hands aggressively, with Huerta mixing in the occasional high kick. Guida looked to be on the verge of victory in round two, where he floored Huerta with a big right hand after Huerta dropped to a knee to defend a takedown. From there, the Chicago native began pummeling his adversary with punches and hammerfists from above in hopes of a finish.

“This is Clay Guida’s style -- relentless striker when he’s on top,” UFC analyst Joe Rogan said.

Huerta managed to survive and turned the tide in round three, landing some solid knees that had Guida shooting out of desperation. His tries were in vain, however, and Huerta spun out of a final takedown attempt to take Guida’s back, locking in the decisive rear-naked choke 31 seconds into the final stanza. While Guida would go on to become a fringe contender at 155 pounds, Huerta had peaked; he is 2-6 since his memorable comeback against “The Carpenter.”

Number 8 » Johnson vs. Dodson