Source: Cage Potato

Story:

Clay Guida arguably owns the UFC’s most famous locks after Urijah Faber shaved off his hair. Surprisingly, Guida  has agreed to tone down his hair and braid them after Gray Maynard’s camp made a complaint that Guida’s hair could pose a distraction and give Guida an unfair advantage. Guida agreed that braiding his hair was the best compromise since he did not want to deal with any distractions ahead of his fight with Maynard at UFC on FX 4 from Atlantic City, New Jersey.

For his part, Gray Maynard said he did not make the complaint to the New Jersey State Atheletic Control Board. But his team may have acted on his behalf. Maynard knows he is at a turning point in his career after having fought his last two fights for the lightweight title. Another loss would be devastating to Maynard’s title hopes possibly pushing him back a year or longer before he can challenge for a title again. Guida was on a four fight win streak before he lost to Benson Henderson in November of last year. Guida hopes a win against Maynard will put him back in title contention.

Blogger Opinion:

Normally I would be against such a request from Maynard’s camp but Guida seems to feed off his hair. The crazier his hair flows, the more energetic Guida seems to fight. I liken Guida to Samson. His hair directly powers him. Maybe on some small level, Maynard is also jealous of Guida’s hair, but whatever the reason is, Maynard’s camp is smart to make the complaint.  It adds one more distraction to Guida’s camp and takes away any advantage Guida might have in his hair absorbing punches to his head. The way Guida moves, you may think you are aiming at his head but its actually his hair tricking you.

All kidding aside, this fight is important for both guys if they want to stay relevant at lightweight. There are so many contenders in waiting at lightweight with the influx of title rematches that a loss could really devastate your chances of getting a title shot. Look at Anthony Pettis, he was promised title shots left and right and has still not received one. Nate Diaz is waiting for a shot at Henderson or Edgar. So even with a win, Guida or Maynard would still be looking at a fight with Pettis to secure the next title shot–if there isn’t another rematch awarded. Either way, look for both guys to push the pace in the hopes of keeping their chances alive.