Hear that? Jeremy Stephens calls out Clay Guida: 'I've wanted this fight for years'

Jeremy Stephens and Clay Guida have both been part of the UFC roster for more than nine years. They’ve spent almost the entirety of that stretch in the same weight class, yet somehow, they’ve never crossed paths inside the octagon.

Stephens (25-13 MMA, 12-12 UFC) wants that to change, though, which is why he’s calling for a matchup with fellow promotional veteran Guida (32-17 MMA, 12-11 UFC).

With no fight booked for either man, “Lil’ Heathen” took to social media to formally but politely call out “The Carpenter” for a featherweight showdown (via Twitter).

Stephens, who’s made 24 UFC appearances since his promotional debut in May 2007, is coming off a unanimous-decision loss to former UFC champ Frankie Edgar at UFC 205 in November. He was outwrestled in the thrilling fight, which resulted in a company-leading 12th UFC loss.

It’s been an up and down past few years for Stephens. He has alternated wins and losses over his past five UFC bouts, with his most recent victory coming against former UFC titleholder Renan Barao at UFC Fight Night 88 in May.

Guida, meanwhile, is currently in the worst slump since he debuted on the UFC roster way back at UFC 64 in October 2006. He has just three victories in his past nine UFC appearances and is coming off back-to-back stoppage losses to Brian Ortega and Thiago Tavares at UFC 199 in June and UFC Fight Night 77 in November 2015, respectively.

Guida, who has nine career fight-night bonuses (six for “Fight of the Night”), recently told MMAjunkie he’s training at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, Calif., while awaiting assignment for his next fight. Clearly Stephens is a willing dance partner.

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