Clay Guida

Nobody hands you anything at lightweight. Clay Guida — "The Carpenter" to fight fans — has built a 38-22 record the hard way, one fight at a time since leaving the United States's regional scene.

The game is built on grappling: 3.1 takedowns per 15 minutes, and opponents spend rounds defending instead of fighting. 15 submission wins say what happens when the defense slips.

He's coming off a loss to Chase Hooper. Careers aren't defined by the fall, though; they're defined by the rebound.

At 44, the window is what it is — which tends to make every remaining fight more honest, and more dangerous.