Dana White ‘pissed off’ after Clay Guida faked retirement

UFC President Dana White is not one to mince his words, and after the recent incident at UFC Kansas City, he is fuming. In the aftermath of the Clay Guida fight, the veteran fighter feigned retirement to secure a post-fight interview, much to the ire of White.

Rafa Garcia defeated Clay Guida by unanimous decision in the first fight of the UFC Kansas City main event. During Garcia's interview, Guida took off his gloves and remained in the octagon, which prompted Daniel Cormier to reach out to him with the impression that he was ready to give the UFC Hall of Famer a chance to affirm the end of his career from the sport. Cormier, though, heard exactly the opposite of what happened.

“I tricked you guys,” Guida said to the crowd. “There ain’t no way I’m walking away yet. I want to congratulate this young man Rafa Garcia and I want to ask Rafa Garcia to trade gloves with me because that was a heck of a performance by him.”

Guida continued by wishing other people happy birthdays, especially his mother, who was there when the fight took place. The sincere greeting might have let Guida seem like a wonderful son, but Dana White wasn't exactly won over by it. The UFC President didn't seem in the slightest pleased that the broadcast was taken over on fake pretexts.

“That pissed me off, actually,” White told reporters at the UFC Kansas City post-fight news conference. “That pissed me off. I like him. He’s a nice guy. But you faking your retirement so you can say f*cking happy birthday to somebody? We’re running a live event here. I was not happy about that. … Yeah, that was not good.”

Since his octagon debut in August 2006, Guida has had one of the longest careers among the UFC competitors. "The Carpenter" is among the top five in promotional history most takedowns successfully landed. The act which he executed on Saturday, however, was not compatible with his character and record of achievement.

Guida's actions have left a sour taste in the mouths of many, and it will take some time for the MMA community to move past this incident. As for White, it is clear that he has no tolerance for any behavior that undermines the integrity of the sport.