• TUF 13 Finale

Pettis alerts ref to Guida's suffocation tactics

Anthony Pettis is favourite to defeat Clay Guida © Getty Images

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Anthony Pettis has vowed not to be suffocated by Clay Guida at Saturday's TUF 13 Finale, even though he believes the long-haired lightweight sometimes fools referees with his ground game.

Pettis takes on Guida in the weekend's main event, knowing victory keeps him in the No. 1 contender slot to meet the winner of Frankie Edgar v Gray Maynard.

Guida will test Pettis' takedown defence, as well as his cardio capabilities, but Showtime has another concern. Six of Guida's last eight fights have ended in victory, but wins over Mac Danzig and Nate Diaz saw him kill the bout on the mat.

"His big advantage is to get body-to-body, lock you up and take you down," Pettis told MMA Mania/Pro MMA Radio. "My big thing is to keep my range. Do what I do best. Stay in range, surprise him with my wrestling and takedown defense and just not let him impose his will.

"I can't let him break me, like Mac Danzig, he was just frustrated, couldn't get up and he gave up.

"In fights, it looks like he's doing a lot of stuff because of his hair. He holds you down and moves his head and the ref is like, 'he must be working'. You can't let him suffocate you. For me, it's going to be keeping my range and picking him apart."

Pettis, who arrives in the UFC as the WEC's last lightweight champion, also revealed that he picked Guida as his next opponent because he knew he would win.

"After the title shot that was promised, I met with the team and they said, 'well you can wait for your shot or you can pick somebody to fight'. Guida fought the same night and I remember that fight, it was a big fight. He's coming off three big wins and his style is very similar to what I'd be facing after him, lots of wrestlers so I think Guida would be a perfect opponent.

"He has a big name and he's definitely a test. He's not an easy opponent ... I went to them and said, 'If I'm gonna fight, I wanna fight Guida'. I look at Guida as a top guy for sure. He trains at Greg Jackson's camp and that was a great decision for him. He's on a hot streak right now.

"It's one of those fights I knew I could win."

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