• UFC on FX 4

Dana White tells Guida: This isn't Dancing with the Stars

One of the rare times Gray Maynard got his hands on Clay Guida © Getty Images

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Dana White warned Clay Guida his career may be in danger if he continues to fight in the manner that he chose for Friday's UFC on FX 4 main event against Gray Maynard.

Guida, a fan-favourite for his usual all-action, gung-ho approach, opted for a safety-first tactic against Maynard, resulting in a warning mid-fight for failing to engage. In the end he dropped a split decision, and earned few new fans in the process.

In defence of Guida, his wrestling capability and striking power did not match his opponent. The sensible tactic was to employ intelligent movement, but he failed to combine that with regular attempts to counter.

Cornered by Greg Jackson, who has earned White's wrath in the past for turning his fighters into boring point-scorers, Guida clearly angered the UFC president, who is likely to drop him down the lightweight ladder as result.

"The fight sucked," White said at the post-fight press conference. "I don't know how to expand on it anymore.

"A guy like Guida, his style is to move forward. I think that's the style that's made him who he is, it's the style that made him a fan favourite and won him fights.

"Guida's fans on Twitter were saying, 'Great footwork'. This isn't Dancing with the Stars. You can't win a fight running around in circles.

"I'm not his trainer, I'm not his coach - these guys come up with game plans. But to make a guy like Clay Guida go out and fight like that, that was the game plan?

"Maybe that's the way [Guida] wants to fight for the rest of his career. I wouldn't advise it, but I'm not his trainer."

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