‘A true legend’: Fighters react to Clay Guida’s insane submission of jiu-jitsu ace Leonardo Santos

Clay Guida is going to have one heck of a 40th birthday celebration next week.

The festivities started early for the veteran of 32 octagon appearances as he scored one of the year’s most unbelievable submissions on Saturday at UFC Vegas 44, forcing multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion Leonardo Santos to tap out in the second round of their fight. Making the finish even more incredible is that Guida was close to being put away by a flurry of strikes from Santos in the opening round.

Referee Keith Peterson allowed the fight to continue and Guida — in classic Guida fashion — showed his relentless heart and gas tank, storming back to submit an exhausted Santos. In doing so, Guida became the first fighter to submit Santos, whose pro MMA career dates back to 2002.

Suffice to say, the MMA community was jazzed about Guida’s performance and many took to Twitter to share their thoughts. Check out what the veteran’s peers had to say about his huge win.