Around this time a year ago, Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller were just becoming two of the biggest contenders in the UFC Lightweight division.However, after suffering pretty bad losses in the second half of 2011, both fighters are back to just being “in…
Around this time a year ago, Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller were just becoming two of the biggest contenders in the UFC Lightweight division.
However, after suffering pretty bad losses in the second half of 2011, both fighters are back to just being “in the mix” despite going on impressive runs.
Miller was heavily considered the top contender after Gray Maynard, until his seven-fight win streak was snapped by former WEC Lightweight champion Benson Henderson.
Guillard was also on a lengthy winning streak until October, when Joe Lauzon served him his first loss since 2009.
Now, both fighters will look to get back into their winning ways as they headline the UFC’s first event on FX.
Here is the complete break down for this exciting matchup.
Chael Sonnen hosts thes 2012 Fighters Only World MMA Awards tonight. How many attendees will he piss off? Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis to headline UFC on Fox 2. UFC on FX: Melvin Guillard vs..
Chael Sonnen hosts thes 2012 Fighters Only World MMA Awards tonight. How many attendees will he piss off?
Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davisto headlineUFC on Fox 2.
UFC on FX: Melvin Guillard vs. Jim Miller hits Nashville on Friday, January 20th.
Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann announced for UFC on FX 2.
The inagural UFC on FX event will take place from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Jan. 20.Lightweights Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller are set to headline the event with Duane Ludwig vs. Josh Neer and Pat Barry vs. Christian Morecraft also being slated…
The inagural UFC on FX event will take place from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Jan. 20.
Lightweights Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller are set to headline the event with Duane Ludwig vs. Josh Neer and Pat Barry vs. Christian Morecraft also being slated to face off in Nashville.
MMAjunkie.com today first reported the news with an official announcement forthcoming from UFC.
Tickets will be made available for purchase to UFC Fight Club members on Wednesday Nov. 30 at 12 pm ET.
Newsletter subscribers to UFC.com can get their hands on tickets Thursday at 12 pm ET with the general public being allowed to purchase tickets on Friday at 12 pm ET.
In addition to the aforementioned matchups, Kamal Shalorus vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Rafaello Oliveira vs. Reza Madadi are expected to compete inside Bridgestone Arena.
The remainder of the card is expected to be completed in the upcoming weeks.
For additional information, follow Joshua Carey onTwitter.
Filed under: UFC, Bellator, Rankings, LightweightsMichael Chandler defeated Eddie Alvarez in what may have been the best MMA fight of the year, winning the Bellator lightweight title. Does that make Chandler a Top 10 lightweight?
Michael Chandler defeated Eddie Alvarez in what may have been the best MMA fight of the year, winning the Bellator lightweight title. Does that make Chandler a Top 10 lightweight?
Not on my list.
I loved the Chandler-Alvarez fight, and I like the 9-0 Chandler a lot. I think he’s one of the most talented young lightweights in the sport, and I think it speaks well for Bellator’s ability to spot talent that they signed him for their lightweight division. (Chandler fought twice for Strikeforce before Bellator scooped him up, and it was obviously a big mistake for Strikeforce to let him get away.) But while Chandler would be in my Top 20, I just can’t put him in my Top 10 yet.
So what could Chandler do to move into the Top 10? I’d love to see Bellator match Chandler up with Shinya Aoki. The previous plan had been to book an Alvarez-Aoki fight, but now that Chandler is the champ in Bellator, Chandler-Aoki would be more appealing. I’d also like to see Chandler take on Kurt Pellegrino, a lightweight who had a winning record in the UFC and is now set to make his Bellator debut against Patricky Freire. Putting Chandler in the cage with a UFC veteran would give us all a good idea how he stacks up against UFC lightweights.
Chandler’s win against Alvarez was obviously the biggest of his career so far. I want to see him get another big win before I put him in the Top 10.
The fighters who are in the Top 10 at 155 pounds are below.
1. Frankie Edgar (1): If there was any doubt after Edgar’s two decision victories over B.J. Penn and his draw with Gray Maynard, there’s no doubt anymore: Edgar’s TKO win over Gray Maynard makes him the top lightweight in the world. He’ll have his hands full, however, when he takes on Ben Henderson in February.
2. Gilbert Melendez (3): Melendez, the Strikeforce lightweight champion, should be fighting one of the top lightweights in the UFC. Instead, he’ll defend his belt against Jorge Masvidal, who’s not in my Top 10 or — as far as I know — anyone else’s.
3. Gray Maynard (2): No two fighters have ever met inside the Octagon four times, but if Maynard wins another couple of fights, he’ll have a good case that he deserves to get a fourth shot at Edgar. Maynard is 1-1-1 in his three career fights against Edgar so far.
4. Ben Henderson (6): The former World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion, Henderson is now 3-0 in the UFC, with unanimous decision wins over Mark Bocek, Jim Miller and Clay Guida. He’ll get a chance to make his case for being the best in the world when he fights Edgar in Japan.
5. Clay Guida (4): Guida’s four-fight winning streak was snapped by Henderson, but he’ll be back. One thing we can always count on from Guida is that he’s going to stay active, win most of the time, and put on a good show when he loses. Guida has won the Fight of the Night award in four of his last five losses.
6. Anthony Pettis (5): Pettis already has a win over Henderson on his record, and that win was supposed to earn him a shot at the UFC belt. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out that way for Pettis, and when he lost to Guida he lost his chance to fight for the title. But Pettis looked good in beating Jeremy Stephens in October, and if he beats Joe Lauzon at UFC 144, he’ll have to be considered a strong contender for a lightweight title shot.
7. Jim Miller (9): Miller’s loss to Henderson in August may have cost him a title shot. The good news is that his next opponent, Melvin Guillard, is tailor-made for Miller to take down and submit.
8. Shinya Aoki (7): Aoki’s submission victories over Lyle Beerbohm, Rich Clementi and Rob McCullough have been impressive enough, but none of those three is even close to a Top 10 lightweight. Aoki’s level of competition leaves a lot to be desired.
9. Donald Cerrone (NR): Cerrone is 4-0 in the UFC this year and still has one more fight to go in 2011, against Nate Diaz at UFC 141. He could become the first fighter to go 5-0 in the UFC in one calendar year since Roger Huerta in 2007.
10. Nate Diaz (NR): It’s great to see Diaz back at lightweight and looking good in his win over Takanori Gomi. Diaz is too lanky for welterweight, but at lightweight he looks great, and his fight with Cerrone should be tremendous.
( The Millers and the toughest fighter in the family, Danny Jr.)
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting Dan Miller, you’d know that he is one of the nicest and most accommodating fighters on the UFC roster. What many of you may not know is that Dan and his wife Kristin have been on a rollercoaster the past two years, having lost their daughter Alexis shortly after she was born and learning soon after that their infant son, Danny Jr. has a rare, and often fatal disorder known as autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease.
Danny is on daily dialysis and is awaiting a kidney transplant from his aunt as his are more than triple the size that they should be and are filled with cysts. The surgery will allow Danny to live a much more normal life, but the procedure and aftercare are not cheap. His medication after the operation, the Millers were told by Danny’s specialist, will cost upwards of $10,000 per month, and will only be partially covered by their insurance provider. To top it all off, only part of his operation will be covered by their HMO.
( The Millers and the toughest fighter in the family, Danny Jr.)
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting Dan Miller, you’d know that he is one of the nicest and most accommodating fighters on the UFC roster. What many of you may not know is that Dan and his wife Kristin have been on a rollercoaster the past two years, having lost their daughter Alexis shortly after she was born and learning soon after that their infant son, Danny Jr. has a rare, and often fatal disorder known as autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease.
Danny is on daily dialysis and is awaiting a kidney transplant from his aunt as his are more than triple the size that they should be and are filled with cysts. The surgery will allow Danny to live a much more normal life, but the procedure and aftercare are not cheap. His medication after the operation, the Millers were told by Danny’s specialist, will cost upwards of $10,000 per month, and will only be partially covered by their insurance provider. To top it all off, only part of his operation will be covered by their HMO.
I had a chance to talk to Dan last year at the MMA Expo in Toronto about the struggles his family has endured and how difficult it is to keep his mind on training and fighting when he knows that his son is fighting a much tougher and important fight in a children’s hospital miles away. The story is a heart wrenching one, and as a parent I don’t know how they cope as well as they do with the situation while maintaining their everyday responsibilities.
Miller’s coaches and teammates at AMA Fight Club in East Whippany, NJ have set up a site to collect donations for the Millers to help offset the medical costs that keep piling up.
They are also holding a seminar on December 3 to raise money for the Daniel James Miller Foundation. The four-hour seminar will feature a BJJ/wrestling seminar led by Dan and Jim Miller and their teammate Charlie Brenneman, and will also include a Muay Thai seminar. There will also be autographed UFC and Strikeforce memorabilia giveaways and free AMA FC membership draws at the event.
For more info on Danny’s disease or the Daniel James Miller Foundation, click HERE.
Information on the seminar can be found here on the DJMF Facebook page HERE.
Lets help one of the good guys in the sport enjoy the holidays without the stress of wondering if he will be able to provide the necessities of life for his little boy.
The main event on UFC on FX 1 will be a clash between two top 10 lightweights: Jim Miller and Melvin Guillard. MMAJunkie is reporting that UFC officials announced the headlining fight of the UFC on FX debut on Thursday, 11/17. Many regarded…
The main event on UFC on FX 1 will be a clash between two top 10 lightweights: Jim Miller and Melvin Guillard.
MMAJunkie is reporting that UFC officials announced the headlining fight of the UFC on FX debut on Thursday, 11/17.
Many regarded Miller as the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds heading into the UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle event, winning seven fights in a row in convincing fashion.
However, Ben “Smooth” Henderson simply dominated the AMA Fight Club product for three rounds on that card, so few are surprised to so Henderson being the next man to challenge Frankie Edgar for the gold at UFC 144.
Meanwhile, Melvin Guillard looked as solid as any other lightweight division riding a five-fight win streak heading into his UFC 136 bout with Joe Lauzon.
“The Young Assassin,” who many felt would secure a title bout with a victory, clearly took his jiu-jitsu savvy foe lightly.
Guillard tried to be a little too flashy on his feet, allowing Lauzon to tag him with a counter left and slap on a rear naked choke.
The winner of this fight will probably be only two to three wins away from a title shot, while the loser will be on thin ice in the UFC after two consecutive losses.
FX is owned by FOX and will be replacing the UFC’s free cards on SpikeTV. The live-version of the reality series “The Ultimate Fighter” will also air on FX in 2012.
The inagural UFC on FX event will take place from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Jan. 20.
Michael Chandler defeated 
