When you talk about the elite lightweights in the world, it wouldn’t be long before the name Melvin Guillard came up.
Guillard is a dynamic striker with vicious finishing ability. With over 40 professional fights under his belt Guillard brings a wealth of experience in to the cage and only 29 years of old he's right in the prime of his career.
Melvin Guillard (29-10-2) will next step into the octagon on July 7th against Fabricio Camoes (13-5-1)“The Young Assassin†won five in a row before dropping his last two fights in the arguably the most talent filled division the UFC. I got the chance to catch up Melvin and get his thoughts on what’s going on around the MMA world.
Mike Fleig- What did you think of the Miller/Diaz fight that was on Fox on May 5th?
Melvin Guillard- “ I thought it was a good fight. I like both of those guys. I had the opportunity to fight both of those guys and I got the chance to lose to both of those guys. The Diaz fight is one that I’ve wanted back for a long time. The Jim Miller fight is one that I definitely want back. I feel like I was winning the fight until I made a dumb decision that ended up costing me that fight. I have been working on my jiu jitsu and getting better all around. Working on all the things that are going to make me victorious. I do want another shot at some of these guys who beat me. I feel that I made some mistakes in those fights and they capitalized. Thats what makes MMA so great. You can be winning a fight and then one sudden mistake and it can cost you a fight.â€
Mike Fleig- You are in the toughest and deepest division in the UFC, where do you think you are currently in the lightweight title picture?
Melvin Guillard- “I still think I’m sitting pretty good. I’m ranked number ten right now. I was ranked number five. When you look at our division it’s so stacked so you don’t see too many five and six fight win streaks against the top guys. So I think any the top guys deserve a shot at the belt at some point. There’s no dominate guy in our weight class anymore at all, there’s too much talent.â€
Mike Fleig- Strictly based on that. Putting together a win streak of five,six or even seven like in Jim Miller’s case doesn’t get you a title shot in this division. Then you see other guys drop down to featherweight win 1 or 2 fights and get a title shot down there. Does switching weight classes ever cross your mind?
Melvin Guillard- “Not really. I’m content with what’s going on. You know you just have to keep working hard and keep training and keep on getting better. The more time I put in it just puts me closer to my goal and that’s being the champion. I believe I can be champion at 155. There’s no point for me to run to another weight class, I’m gonna be champion at 155.â€
Mike Fleig- What’s your take on Nate Diaz being named the number one contender and deciding to wait to see who wins the Henderson/Edgar rematch? Also what that does to a guy like Anthony Pettis who kind of got passed on two opportunities to fight for the title?
Melvin Guillard- “If it was me I would fight, I love to fight. I mean Pettis was promised a shot but it’s just a matter of when. Pettis can probably get two fights in before fighting for the title under these circumstances. He would be rolling the dice and taking a chance at losing that number one contender status, like what happened with Guida. To be fair to Pettis he should fight one or two mediocre guys to stay active. He shouldn’t have to fight a guy like me or another top guy to keep that status. Where he would have an opportunity to lose his spot again. He would probably want to wait to fight a guy like me until there is a belt on the line and it would be worth it. That's just from a business point of view. Anthony has worked hard and he deserves that title shot. I don’t think Diaz deserves it right away because he just came back down to 155 from 170. Where he got a massive beating from Rory MacDonald.â€
Mike Fleig- How’s your camp going for this fight?
Melvin Guillard- “Camps going really good, training for Fabricio Camoes on July 7th. I moved down to Florida before my last fight, so it’s going good.â€
Mike Fleig- You were a long time member of Jackson MMA, did you leave there on good terms?
Melvin Guillard- “Definitely, I left there on good terms.â€
Mike Fleig- What kind of changes have you made to your training since joining the Blackzillians?
Melvin Guillard- “I been working a lot on my jiu jitsu, obviously thats what everyone wants to hear. I been focusing on my wrestling as well. I always kind of viewed myself as a lightweight Chuck Liddell. I always feel like if I can keep the fight standing I’m going to knock my opponent out. But I working on defending submissions and sprawling and brawling.â€
Mike Fleig- Can I get a prediction for your fight against Fabricio Camoes at UFC 148?
Melvin Guillard- “For me it’s always the same, I going for the knock out. I mean at this level you can’t take anyone lightly. He’s a tough guy but I going to get the knock out.â€
Mike Fleig- Predictions for Edgar/Henderson II?
Melvin Guillard- “I got to go with Henderson, he is the bigger stronger fighter.â€
Mike Fleig- Guida/ Maynard?
Melvin Guillard- “ I’m going with Clay, he is still like a team mate to me, he is a buddy of mine and I like Maynard too but I going with Clay.â€
Mike Fleig- How about Silva/Sonnen II?
Melvin Guillard- “Anderson all day, he is my favorite middleweight of all time.â€
