Guida Has Connection with Master Trainer Jackson

When Greg Jackson tells Clay Guida to "Be the dude," not only is the MMA guru referencing one of the lightweight's favorite movies -- the cult classic "The Big Lebowski" -- he's also exhorting Guida to put all of his tools to use in the cage.

The Illinois native will have three camps with Jackson's team in Albuquerque, N.M., under his belt when he squares off with Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 117 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. Jackson's unique approach to the fight game is rubbing off on the ultra popular Guida, who earned his first submission win since 2006 over Shannon Gugerty at the initial UFC on Versus card in March.

"Greg sees things differently than other coaches. That's what makes him so special, that's what makes him stand out in the MMA world," Guida said. "He knows when I'm feeling it, when I'm going out there and not thinking, I'm just fighting. I'm just moving, bobbing and untouchable... He's like, 'Just be the Dude.'

"That's when I'm in the groove. I'm just boom, boom -- everything's clicking. We're hitting on all cylinders. He sees it a little bit differently, and I know what he's saying."

In the past, Guida's style has easily translated into memorable fights. Several of those -- most notably losses to Diego Sanchez and Tyson Griffin -- ended with Guida on the wrong end of the decision. Jackson says that it often takes a couple of fights before he is able to completely identify adjustments he would like to make in a new fighter's style. He believes Guida has grown since he first arrived in New Mexico.

"Clay is making a lot of improvements. He had a great performance his last fight when he finished a guy from the mount with an arm-triangle, which you don't see Clay Guida doing a lot of in the UFC,” said Jackson. “This fight is against a really tough jiu-jitsu guy, but he is really looking a lot better. He used to come into camp and have a much harder time than he is now. He's really starting to turn the corner. Win or lose this fight, he's on the right path."

It's his trainer's ability to make minor tweaks to his game, along with his use of pop culture references as motivation, that keeps Guida coming back.

"I feel much more confident in my skills," Guida said. "I had a great skill set before. I'm using my tools even more now. I'm using my speed, I'm using my takedowns, I'm using my head movement. Greg's not trying to reinvent the wheel with me. He's just taking a caveman and giving him a few different tools."

Dos Anjos is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who had a rather inauspicious beginning to his UFC career. The Brazilian suffered a knockout loss to Jeremy Stephens in his debut and followed that up with a unanimous decision loss to Griffin. With his UFC career potentially hanging in the balance, Dos Anjos has responded accordingly, fashioning a three-fight win streak and impressing his next opponent in the process.

"I love fighting guys like Rafael because he's a hungry, hungry cat. He started out 0-2 in the UFC. A lot of guys might hang it up. A lot of guys might get cut. He's won back-to-back-to-back fights," Guida said. "To me that's a great competitor and a great person. They see that as a challenge and they come back."

Guida expects to use Dos Anjos as a stepping-stone to bigger things in the 155-pound division. Consecutive losses to Sanchez and Kenny Florian in 2009 may have knocked Guida off the short list of top contenders at lightweight, but in his mind, it's only a temporary setback.

"I always see myself at the top. To me that's what great competitors (do), they see themselves as the best. Frankie's holding my belt right now," he said of UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. In the eternal quest to just "Be the dude," Guida seems to be on the right path. The combination of his trademark frenetic pace and rhythm with Jackson's adjustments are a blueprint for success. Guida's unwavering belief in himself doesn't hurt, either.

"I know I'm the unsung hero at 155. People love seeing a good scrap, a good war, but they can continue to see a more mature Clay Guida and just a better fighter each time I'm in the cage," he said.