No one doubting Huerta after classic win

LAS VEGAS – There will be no more snickering that Roger Huerta is just a pretty boy. No more cracks about how the Ultimate Fighting Championship is grooming him and easing his path. No more jokes about his Sports Illustrated cover boy status.

The lightweight, known as "El Matador," made a statement Saturday night, one that told the mixed martial arts world that he is one of the toughest fighters on the planet.

Huerta took everything that MMA's Energizer Bunny, Clay Guida, had to offer, and still came out a winner Saturday night at the Pearl at the Palms Theater.

In one of the most thrilling UFC battles in quite some time, Huerta was nearly finished off in the second round, then rallied to win the lightweight showdown with a rear naked choke at 51 seconds of the third.

"I've always been underestimated every time I come out to fight," Huerta said. "I hope I don't get doubted anymore."

Huerta seemed destined to be a star from the moment he first stepped into the octagon, a win over Jason Dent in the opening match at UFC 63 in Sept. 2006. He had an inspirational backstory, which involved rising out of poverty; looks that made him marketable to the ladies; and most important, he was personable, giving the UFC the bilingual Latino media sensation they had sought.

But Huerta's success didn't come without backlash. He won each of his first five matches in the UFC, but most were against newcomers with no real track record. Huerta was placed on the cover of a May SI issue which featured the company's breakthrough piece in the magazine, ahead of several established stars.

All Huerta could do was fight the opponents UFC gave him and wait for his big opportunity. "The fighters always respect me, but the media, other people out there always question me," Huerta said. "I trained my butt off. Every time, I'm ready to come out there swinging. It's just one of those things."

Saturday night was sink-or-swim time as he fought Guida (22-9), a man who built a grassroots following due to his tremendous performances, win or lose. Guida's June loss to Tyson Griffin, a split decision which many observers felt he won, is considered by many the best match of 2007.

Guida set the tone in the first round on Saturday by establishing his jab and using it to set up the takedown. But he never got Huerta where he wanted him after they hit the mat, and Huerta showed a knack for squirming out of trouble and scrambling back to his feet. Both fighters were treated to a standing ovation after five minutes of up-and-down action.

The Chicago-based Guida continued to push the pace in the second, establishing his pattern of taking it to his foe in the standup, then shooting for takedowns. Toward the middle of the round, Guida started inflicting real damage during standup exchanges, and he finally floored Huerta late with a big right hand.

Huerta managed to fend off Guida on the ground and rode out the rest of the round, but not without nearly going to sleep first.

"I was hurt. He rocked me, man" Huerta said. "I was slightly knocked out but I knew what was going on. I just heard this ringing, and it was the weirdest thing, all I saw was all this hair, I didn't know if it was a human being or a lion attacking me, then after about 10 seconds I was like 'Hey Clay' and it was back on."

Guida took both of the first two rounds on all scorecards. One judge had the score at 20-17.

But Huerta gathered his senses in between rounds and turned up the intensity in the third. He kept Guida at bay with a low kick and a high kick. Huerta waited on Guida's jab and countered with a tremendous knee that rocked his opponent backward. Guida got his wits about him enough to attempt a takedown, but Huerta stuffed him, and seconds later had the opening for the rear naked choke and the victory.

"I threw that knee, I was going for a kick and the knee landed," Huerta said. "I knew he was hurt and I wasn't going to let him rest."

Guida's 2-3 record in the UFC serves the notion that wins and losses are not always an accurate measure of a mixed martial artist's abilities. While he's not likely to get a title shot anytime soon because of the losses, Guida has earned the respect of the fans and his peers alike for his fearlessness and his heart. Huerta was the first to acknowledge his vanquished foe's skills.

"Clay, I give you nothing but props, you have nothing but heart," Huerta told Guida during the postfight media conference. "He's been called on to fight the toughest fighters and he never says no. I've had a tough road but he's had it tougher than me. I have so much respect for him."

Guida returned the compliments. "I want to congratulate him," Guida said. "He has the heart of a lion. Heart brings people through a lot in life. He has a solid chin, he tested my chin and we had a hell of a fight."

Huerta gave the standard UFC answers about who he would like to fight next, basically saying he'll take on whomever the company wants him to face. He also indicated he is looking to take some time off – he fought five times in 2007 – and get his business management degree at Augsburg College (Minn.), which he is three credits away from achieving. But a matchup with Ken Florian, another lightweight who seems a win or two away from a title shot, seems a natural for some time in 2008.

DANZIG IS ULTIMATE FIGHTER

The Huerta-Guida thriller overshadowed the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 6. The man most expected to win it going in, Mac Danzig, scored a victory against Tommy Speer. Danzig (18-4-1) needed 2 minutes, 1 second to win via rear naked choke.

The upstart Speer had much of the crowd behind him, as they chanted his name coming out of the gate. The Minnesota native edged Danzig back toward the fence and they locked up in a clinch, but Danzig kept his composure and scored a takedown 50 seconds into the round.

"I think the experience difference was a big factor," Danzig said. "He's big and strong, but I knew if I took him out of his comfort zone I'd have the advantage."

Speer held off Danzig's initial flurry on the ground, but the Los Angeles-based Danzig managed to get Speer's back soon thereafter. From there, he used a series of punches to soften up Speer for the rear naked choke. Speer knew he was beat and didn't take long to tap.

"I was really nervous going into this fight with Tommy," said Danzig, who trains with the likes of John Alessio and Gray Maynard. "He's so big, so strong with his wrestling. The game plan was to switch the roles on him and take him on his back. He's a great fighter and has a great future in the sport."

With the win, Danzig became the latest to earn a guaranteed contract through the Spike TV reality show, in which competitors are sequestered in a Las Vegas house to train and fight in elimination matches. He joins a list of winners which includes Forrest Griffin and Diego Sanchez (both season one), Rashad Evans and Joe Stevenson (season two), Michael Bisping and Kendall Grove (season three), Matt Serra (season four) and Nate Diaz (season five).

Danzig, who doesn't cut weight to get to the 170-pound welterweight limit, announced after the fighter he's going to drop down to lightweight (155).