Tough times make hard men: The Clay Collard Story

Douglas Vegas Bets·April 13, 2023

>"They don’t know what’s coming. They have no idea. I’m ready to come out and show the world what’s up" - Clay Collard

Clay Collard has become must-see TV throughout his underdog story, and now with the spotlight bright as ever, Collard is just coming into his prime, and it’s no accident that he made it here.

Fighter for Life

Collard has been training to be a fighter since he was a young kid from Utah, having started wrestling at the age of just six and boxing with Mark Montoya when he was eleven. Despite being late for his first practice and expecting to be suplexing his friends from day one, he quickly fell in love with the sport of wrestling. After learning boxing with his grandfather, it was a perfect storm when Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonner came on the TV and led Collard down his path in mixed martial arts.

>“I was born for this, I got it tatted on me.” - Clay Collard

Clay Collard's Hand tattoo that reads 'Born To Fight'.

UFC Run

Early in his MMA career, Collard was given an opportunity to fight for the UFC on just a week’s notice against none other than future Featherweight champion Max Holloway. Although Collard feels good about the early portion of that fight, he faded, likely due to his self-admitted lack of proper preparation at the time. He fought three more times in the UFC before being let go after a split decision loss to Tiago Trator that Collard said he didn’t think he should have even been fighting in to his manager before the fight.

>"I don't think that (UFC run) defines me as a fighter." - Clay Collard

Collard during his fight with Tiago Trator. Credits to: Esther Lin - MMA Fighting

The Shift

After some ups and downs in his MMA run, Collard decided it was time to move back home for a while and rethink his path. After spending some time working in more traditional positions, it was clear to Collard that he was meant to be fighting.

>“I hate working for the man.” - Clay Collard

Boxing Career

In 2020 before joining the PFL, Collard had been active outside of MMA with several boxing fights on high-profile cards. Despite initially only taking fights for money to fix his car, Collard made a name for himself by taking on several undefeated prospects and pulling off the upset on multiple occasions.

Clay Collard lands a jab in his boxing match against Maurice Williams. Credits to: Mikey Williams - Top Rank

PFL Career

In 2021 Collard would get the fight that would put his name on the radar of MMA fans worldwide as he was slated to take on former UFC champion Anthony Pettis to open the PFL season. Since that fight, Collard has only improved, having had another stellar performance against Jeremy Stephens. Going into this season, Collard has an intense feel to him as he says he is looking to dominate this season and prove the PFL is "His house."

>“I need the backyard my dog deserves.” - Clay Collard

Clay Collard lands a right hand on Jeremy Stephens. Credits to: PFL

Collard takes on Yamato Nishikawa at PFL 3: 2023 on April 14th in his next fight to begin his quest to become the Lightweight champion and win one million dollars.