It could be wrong place, wrong time for World Series of Fighting lightweight champ Justin Gaethje, who finds himself in the cross hairs of a motivated Melvin Guillard.
The former UFC contender will vie for his first-ever major MMA title on Saturday night in the co-main event of WSOF 15. Standing across the cage from him will be Gaethje, an undefeated lightweight eager to add a major feather to his cap.
The WSOF lightweight champ understands the stakes, and he isn’t pulling any punches in the pre-fight buildup. When speaking with Mick Hammond of MMAWeekly.com, Gaethje boldly claimed that he was “more athletic” and a harder puncher than Guillard. His sole intention on Saturday night is to make the UFC vet “look really bad.”
Guillard, who is coming off a second-round TKO win over Gesias Cavalcante, seemed on edge when asked to respond to Gaethje‘s boisterous claims:
“He’s more athletic than me? Man, Gaethje is crazy,” Guillard told Bleacher Report. “He better quit smoking all that weed up there in Denver. He’s out of his damn mind if he thinks that. He’s a better athlete, and he hits harder than me? OK, we’ll see. We’ll see.
“Everybody’s got something to say, but at the same time, he’s got to say something to psych himself up, to get himself that motivation to step in there because he’s got no choice. He’s gotta fight me. He’s the champ, he’s gotta fight the best. They bring in the best guy in the organization right now to fight him, and he will not walk out of there with that belt that night.”
The spotlight is at its brightest for Gaethje, but for Guillard, it’s just another day at the office.
The hardened veteran spent nine years competing against the best in world in the UFC before being released from his contract in March. Consistency has been the biggest issue for Guillard in recent years.
He hasn’t won consecutive fights in over three years, but an entertaining personality and exciting fighting style kept him afloat in the UFC. The promotion finally decided to cut ties with The Ultimate Fighter 2 alum after seeing him turn in a lackluster performance against Michael Johnson at UFC Fight Night 37.
Guillard admits that he was surprised by the UFC’s decision to release him, especially after all of the years of exciting fights he put on for the promotion. He likens the MMA mecca as a once-sanctified fraternity turned into a money-making machine.
The UFC’s worldwide expansion module calls for more shows and more fights. Instead of putting on the best fights possible, Guillard sees the UFC and other promotions adopting a quantity-over-quality approach.
“A lot of guys are getting put in the organization with 2-1 records, 5-1 records,” Guillard said. “I remember back in 2005, when I first stepped into the UFC, you had to have at least 10 wins and maybe one or two losses, if that. Now, it’s like they’re just letting any and everybody become MMA fighters. …
“Hell, yeah, I was shocked (about being cut from the UFC). I was shocked, I was surprised. After the performance with Michael Johnson, what everybody doesn’t understand is that I had two dislocated ribs. I got them in the first round, and I fought through it. He didn’t finish me. Yeah, it was a boring fight, but I didn’t think I was going to get cut because of it.
“Technically speaking, I wasn’t even supposed to be fighting Michael Johnson. I was supposed to be rematching with Ross Pearson, so I feel like Ross Pearson even got away on it. Now, he’s fighting those scrubs with the UFC, and he just got knocked out I heard. You cut one good guy to keep three guys that are alright?”
While being snubbed by the UFC certainly stings, Guillard isn’t crying over spilled milk. He even admitted that things were starting to get a bit “stale.” The silver lining in his WSOF venture is an opportunity to start fresh.
Of course, this fresh start will come among several hungry, young lions looking for a chance to legitimize their resumes with wins over UFC-caliber opposition.
Deep down, Guillard sees himself as an “A-list fighter competing in the B leagues.” Any WSOF lightweights looking for a stepping stone to the big show should probably look elsewhere, according to Guillard.
“Things got a little stale, I was ready for something new, and World Series came in and gave me an offer that I couldn’t resist. … I was with the UFC for nine-and-a-half years,” Guillard said. “Everybody that’s in World Series is trying to go where I’ve been. I’ve already been there. I’ve already done that. I’m already a famous fighter that’s known as a UFC fighter.
“These guys are trying to do what I’ve already done, so if they think they’re going to use me as a stepping stone to get to the UFC, they’re going to be sadly mistaken. I am an A-list fighter fighting in the B leagues.”
WSOF 15 takes place live on Saturday at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. The card also features a middleweight title fight between David Branch and Yushin Okami as well as a women’s strawweight title bout between Jessica Aguilar and Kalindra Faria.
All quotes were obtained fisthand unless noted otherwise. Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
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