Lightweight contender Melvin Guillard found himself without a training camp on Monday, and now the former Blackzilian may be tagged with a jail sentence to boot.
MMA Junkie reports that Guillard is facing two assault charges in New Mexico, both of which could net him a year’s worth of jail time:
Adding to concerns, Guillard has two outstanding assault charges against him from separate incidents in Albuquerque in 2010, records show.
According to Bernalillo County (N.M.) court records, Guillard currently faces five charges: two misdemeanor counts of aggravated battery, to which he pled not guilty. Three misdemeanor counts of failure to appear in court were settled.
No official statement has been made by the Blackzilians, Greg Jackson’s MMA or Authentic Sports Management regarding Guillard, whose jury trial is currently scheduled for April 10.
However, this sheds some light on the situation regarding Team Jackson-Winkeljohn’s refusal to re-recruit Guillard into its camp, as legal issues surrounding “The Young Assassin” most likely led the New Mexico group’s staff to disown him.
As sources within Greg Jackson’s MMA told MMA Junkie, Guillard‘s announcement “caught them off-guard,” as they quickly had to refute the news.
Whatever personal issues might exist between Guillard and Greg Jackson’s MMA are unknown, although MMA Junkie notes that the team was “unanimous” in barring the former Blackzilian from coming back to the camp:
“He’s not allowed back here,” said the source, who asked for anonymity given the sensitive nature of the talks and the team’s history with the fighter.
Guillard was unreachable for comment, and his last known management firm, Authentic Sports Management, refused to confirm whether he is still a client.
Guillard apparently won’t be going back to the Blackzilians‘ camp in Florida either, as his profile is nowhere to be found on its fighter roster.
Until his court date is settled, he may be unable to compete in the UFC for the time being. That marks another setback on his MMA career, as Guillard is currently suffering a career-low 1-4 losing stretch, dating back to a UFC 136 loss against Joe Lauzon.
Since then, Guillard has dropped fights to strong competition in Jim Miller, former teammate Donald Cerrone and former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner. His lone win in the past 20 months came in a unanimous decision at UFC 148 against Brazilian fighter Fabricio Camoes.
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