Melvin Guillard Finds a New Team & Training Camp After Leaving the Blackzilians

It’s been an odd couple of weeks for UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard, but it looks like he’s found a new place to call home. The one-time Ultimate Fighter competitor recently announced that he was exiting his team at the Blackzilians in Florida and rej…

It’s been an odd couple of weeks for UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard, but it looks like he’s found a new place to call home.

The one-time Ultimate Fighter competitor recently announced that he was exiting his team at the Blackzilians in Florida and rejoining his old team under the tutelage of coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn in New Mexico.

The move was rebuffed, unfortunately, as Jackson’s MMA had moved on since the time that Guillard left them in 2011, and it appeared in everyone’s best interest if he didn’t return to the team he called home for several UFC fights.

Since that announcement was made, Guillard has stayed fairly quiet while not answering many calls or having done any interviews about the strenuous situation surrounding the next camp he planned to work with in anticipation of his return to UFC action.   

On Wednesday, Guillard revealed that over the last week he decided that Denver would ultimately be his new stomping grounds and that the long-time UFC lightweight will now train at Team Grudge led by coach Trevor Wittman.

Interesting enough, Team Grudge is an affiliate and has served as sort of a sister team to the squad run by Greg Jackson in New Mexico, with both sharing talent for training camps over the years. Fighters such as Rashad Evans and Nate Marquardt would routinely make the trip from Colorado to New Mexico (and vice versa) to get in the training necessary to get ready for a fight.

Team Grudge’s notable members include Marquardt, former UFC champion Shane Carwin and Ultimate Fighter finalist Brendan Schaub.

Now that list has grown by one with Guillard uprooting from his Florida home to relocate to Denver and begin working out of the Grudge Training Center.

As of now, Guillard still hasn’t been booked for his next UFC fight. However, from the sound of his message on Twitter, he’s beginning a training camp, so an announcement could be made at any time. Guillard will definitely be looking for a big return in his next fight after dropping back-to-back bouts recently and holding a 1-4 record overall in his last five fights inside the UFC Octagon.

 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report.

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