UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Amanda Lemos vs. Jessica Andrade

#2. UFC lightweight division: Clay Guida vs. Claudio Puelles

Can Claudio Puelles pull off a big win over veteran Clay Guida this weekend?

On the face of it, this is a curious choice for a co-headline bout. It pits one of the longest standing veterans on the UFC’s roster in Clay Guida against a fighter not usually recognized as a prospect of any kind in Claudio Puelles.

However, beneath the surface, the booking actually makes more sense than one might think. Puelles has quietly put together a winning streak of four fights in the lightweight division since suffering a loss in his octagon debut back in 2016, and so he’s probably due a step-up of sorts.

Guida is past his prime, of course, as he’s been with the promotion since 2006 and is now 40 years old. Nevertheless, he is coming off a strong win over Leonardo Santos and he should definitely provide a tricky test for Puelles, whose wins have largely come against lower-level opponents.

Like most of the fighters produced by TUF: Latin America, Puelles is all about the largely flashy, but wild, offense. He’s willing to go for low-percentage submissions, with two of his octagon wins coming via kneebar, and he’s also a decent striker, even if his chin hasn’t always looked the best.

Based on what we’ve seen of him so far, then, he might stand a decent chance of defeating Guida in this one. Despite his hyperactive nature, ‘The Carpenter’ isn’t the most dynamic fighter on offense, preferring to spam takedowns and ground-and-pound than anything else, and his submissions tend to be more spontaneous than anything else.

Essentially, it’s likely that Guida will be able to take Puelles down. Whether he can control him, let alone avoid his crazy submission attacks and sweep attempts, is another thing entirely, particularly as he’s not close to being as durable as he once was.

Overall, then, Guida will probably be favored here as he’s got miles more experience than his Peruvian opponent, but unless he’s able to really ground and control Puelles – or lull him into one of those odd fights that’s more a dancing contest than anything else – then it’s likely that he’ll be caught with something nasty.

With that in mind, the pick is Puelles via first-round submission.

The Pick: Puelles via first round submission