Tag: Melvin Guillard

Melvin Guillard Breaks His Silence on the Blackzilians, Jackson’s MMA and More

It all started with a message on Twitter less than a week ago. Melvin Guillard declared that he was leaving his camp at the Blackzilians and rejoining his old teammates at Jackson’s MMA in New Mexico.  It seemed simple enough at the time, but 24 h…

It all started with a message on Twitter less than a week ago.

Melvin Guillard declared that he was leaving his camp at the Blackzilians and rejoining his old teammates at Jackson’s MMA in New Mexico.  It seemed simple enough at the time, but 24 hours later things became much more difficult.

Before Guillard could even pack his bags and head to the airport, he started seeing messages on Twitter that he was not going to be welcome back at Jackson’s MMA, and he would have to find a new team.

Guillard explained when speaking to Bleacher Report on Thursday that the team at Jackson’s MMA took a vote and ultimately decided against his return.

“I guess what happened was everybody read the tweet saying I was going back, and there were other things that happened.  Some of the guys voted whether or not I was going to be able to go back or not, and some of the team was okay for it; some of the team wasn’t.  Coach Greg calls me up and tells me ‘Melvin, some of the guys are for it, some aren’t, so for right now my answer would have to be no.  Maybe if some of the guys over time have a change of heart or whatever then it can be yes at some point, but just not right now,'” Guillard explained.   I still have the invitation, it’s still a possibility I can go, but at this point in my career I just turned 30 years old; I’m beginning that journey down the hill. 

“I’m on the down slope of my career, and right now it’s about getting as many wins as I can, and being able to even fight for a UFC lightweight title.”

At first the news about being denied a return to Jackson’s camp came as a shock, and after shock came some anger from Guillard, who couldn’t understand why his former teammates would opt against him coming back there again.  It took some wise words from his wife to make him understand just how the team at his former gym probably felt when he left to go train with the Blackzilians in Florida right in the midst of a war between two of the team’s top fighters.

“There’s no hard feelings. It is what it is,” Guillard stated.   “When you really look at the situation, I left Jackson’s at a critical time.  I left when Rashad (Evans) and Jon (Jones) was going through their little beef, and I took myself out of the equation and my wife made me look at it like this—take yourself out of the situation and look at someone else.  ‘If someone else had left the team and went to an opposing team and then tried to go back to that team, how would you feel about that?’ I said, ‘yeah you’ve got a good point.’  That’s kind of how it looked.  Even though it wasn’t like that, that’s what it looked like to them.”

Guillard holds no ill will towards the team at Jackson’s the same way he has nothing against his former team at the Blackzilians.  While Guillard admits the move to Florida was great for his home life, it didn’t do as much as he hoped for his professional career.

During his time with the team, Guillard went 1-4 overall and to hear him explain it, he just never felt like he quite fit in with the coaches and other fighters there.  Last week he knew it was time to move on.

“It was just me as a person, on a chemistry side I just didn’t fit,” Guillard said.   “I just felt like it was time to go.  I’ve got to go somewhere where I can get back to winning fights.  Right now my job is probably on the line and my upcoming fight is a must-win fight.  I feel like I need to do good work to get that win. That’s why my decision was made.

“I love Florida and I don’t think I’ll ever leave Florida, but that said, I was kind of like a loner.  I was an outsider.  I was there when it was time to train, but I just didn’t think it was fair to the other guys that were there.  I think that was a reason why I had to leave as well—because it wasn’t being fair to the other guys on the team.”

When he first decided to leave the Blackzilians, Guillard admits he thought about joining American Top Team, another huge camp in Florida but because of a past strained relationship between that team and his manager Glenn Robinson, he didn’t want to “put gasoline on the fire”.  For a few days, Guillard was a fighter without a home, but all it took was a call from a close friend and old mentor to set things back on track.

“Pat Barry called me when the tweets started going around that I got denied at Jackson’s.  Pat Barry calls me and goes ‘I want you to call Coach Leister (Bowling), he’s the wrestling coach out there at MusclePharm, and he works with a lot of great guys,'” said Guillard.   “Me and Pat go way back since New Orleans, fighting when I was 16 years old.  Pat’s been like my big brother my whole career. 

“When he reached out to me it was kind of cool.  It was like a big brother saying it’s time to get your butt back home and come train with me and that’s kind of how I took it.”

Leister Bowling is the head wrestling coach at the Grudge Training Center, where he works with several top UFC fighters including Shane Carwin and Brendan Schaub, and the head coach there is striking guru Trevor Wittman.  Guillard and Wittman actually crossed paths before and even worked together briefly when he was preparing for his bout in Denver against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC 150.

Quickly Guillard packed up a few things, boarded a plane to Colorado and sat down with Wittman to plot a course for his training camp and begin work on rebuilding “The Young Assassin.”

“Coach Trevor welcomed me with open arms,” said Guillard.   “We put everything out on the table up front, we discussed what we needed to discuss and now we’re on the same page. It works.”

At home in Florida, Guillard was greeted everyday by his wife and he was able to relax on his couch and play video games on his giant screen television.  Now he’s literally living in the basement at the gym and the only thing he does is eat, sleep and train.

Guillard is looking to redeem himself on July 27 when he meets Mac Danzig at UFC on Fox 8, and between now and then the only thing on his mind is getting back to the place that saw him only one fight away from a UFC lightweight title shot less than two years ago.

“It’s like watching that Rocky III movie,” said Guillard.   “It’s like where you lose that hunger and you’ve got to go back to where you started and go back to the gutter and get hungry again.  That’s kind of how I feel sleeping in this basement.  I need this basement, I’m going to stay down here in this basement.  Right now I’m loving my little basement cot.”

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

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Now Training at Grudge, Melvin Guillard Returns Against Mac Danzig on July 27th


(The Zangief Piledriver: You’re doing it wrong. Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

Melvin Guillard‘s falling out with the Blackzilians and subsequent rejection by his old Jackson’s MMA team temporarily left the veteran UFC lightweight without a training home. Yesterday, MMAJunkie reported that Guillard has set up shop at the Grudge Training Center in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, where he has the full support of trainer Trevor Wittman:

“I feel me and him have a very good connection, and I know him pretty well,” Wittman said. “I feel we can really help him turn his career around…He asked me to hit mitts with him for the week, and it was a very good connection, and I think that was a part of what helped him make his choice to come here.”

“Melvin’s one of those guys that’s a spot fighter. He has shown spots of greatness…Seeing a guy like that, you can either be at the top of the game or the bottom of a game, or you can be a gatekeeper. When you’re mind is not right and you’re fighting for the wrong reasons and [acting] outside of what you do well, that’s where you see an athlete going downhill. To me, it’s all about where you are mentally.”

Though Grudge has long had a strategic affiliation with Jackson’s MMA — with fighters like Nate Marquardt, Brendan Schaub, and Shane Carwin shuttling between the two camps in the past — the Colorado facility is an independent operation, not subject to the edicts of Pope Greg. And with a fresh start at Grudge, the Young Assassin will look to snap his two-fight losing streak this summer.


(The Zangief Piledriver: You’re doing it wrong. Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

Melvin Guillard‘s falling out with the Blackzilians and subsequent rejection by his old Jackson’s MMA team temporarily left the veteran UFC lightweight without a training home. Yesterday, MMAJunkie reported that Guillard has set up shop at the Grudge Training Center in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, where he has the full support of trainer Trevor Wittman:

“I feel me and him have a very good connection, and I know him pretty well,” Wittman said. “I feel we can really help him turn his career around…He asked me to hit mitts with him for the week, and it was a very good connection, and I think that was a part of what helped him make his choice to come here.”

“Melvin’s one of those guys that’s a spot fighter. He has shown spots of greatness…Seeing a guy like that, you can either be at the top of the game or the bottom of a game, or you can be a gatekeeper. When you’re mind is not right and you’re fighting for the wrong reasons and [acting] outside of what you do well, that’s where you see an athlete going downhill. To me, it’s all about where you are mentally.”

Though Grudge has long had a strategic affiliation with Jackson’s MMA — with fighters like Nate Marquardt, Brendan Schaub, and Shane Carwin shuttling between the two camps in the past — the Colorado facility is an independent operation, not subject to the edicts of Pope Greg. And with a fresh start at Grudge, the Young Assassin will look to snap his two-fight losing streak this summer.

The UFC has confirmed that Guillard will compete next at UFC on FOX 8 (July 27th at KeyArena in Seattle, Washington), where he’ll face TUF 6 winner* Mac Danzig. Danzig has cobbled together a less-than-stellar 4-6 record since winning the show in April 2008, and most recently dropped a split-decision against Takanori Gomi last November in Macau.

While Guillard and Danzig have been given numerous chances to rebound after setbacks in the past — Guillard has lost four of his last five bouts, and is riding back-to-back losses against Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone — they’re both entering must-win territory, considering the UFC’s recent push to shed dead weight off its rosters. So who will come out on top in this one?

No other fights have been announced for the July 27th FOX event.

* You know a TUF winner’s UFC career hasn’t been much of a success if you still have to refer to him as “TUF [x] winner” when you’re writing a blog post about him, years after he won the show.

Guys you don’t have to refer to as “TUF [x] winner” anymore: Forrest Griffin, Diego Sanchez, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping, Matt Serra, Nate Diaz, Ryan Bader, Roy Nelson

Guys you still have to refer to as ”TUF [x] winner”: Kendall Grove, Travis Lutter, Mac Danzig, Amir Sadollah, Efrain Escudero, James Wilks, everybody after TUF 10.

On the bubble: Ross Pearson.

Melvin Guillard, Mac Danzig Agree to Bout at UFC on Fox 8

Melvin Guillard may be going through some tough times, but at least he’ll soon be able to take out his aggression in the Octagon.According to MMA Weekly, Guillard and TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig have agreed to fight one another at the UFC on Fox 8 card.Gui…

Melvin Guillard may be going through some tough times, but at least he’ll soon be able to take out his aggression in the Octagon.

According to MMA Weekly, Guillard and TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig have agreed to fight one another at the UFC on Fox 8 card.

Guillard‘s struggles inside the cage are well noted, with back-to-back losses to Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone. The loss to Cerrone was particularly brutal as Guillard was knocked out after taking a head kick and massive punch from his former training partner.

A fighter who can share the idea of going through some tough times will be his opponent. Danzig is just 4-6 in the UFC since winning The Ultimate Fighter 6 and is coming off a split-decision loss to former Pride star Takanori Gomi.

WhatI think will generate most of this bout’s interest is the fact it will be Guillard‘s first fight since switching camps. The lightweight recently left the “Blackzillians” camp and was believed to be heading back to Greg Jackson’s MMA.

But it appears Jackson and his team have moved on from Guillard as he was shunned from rejoining the team.

Now Guillard has found a home at the Grudge Training Center in Denver, run by Trevor Wittman.

With the UFC’s chopping block present at every event, it could be possible that both Guillard and Danzig will be fighting for their UFC futures at UFC on Fox 8.

UFC on Fox 8 is scheduled to go down on July 27 and will take place at the KeyArena in Seattle.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

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.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Melvin Guillard Leaving the Blackzilians but Remains with Same Management Team

UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard is still seeking out a new home for his training, but he will remain with his current management team. A report on Thursday initially stated that Guillard, who stated earlier this week that he was exiting his old team at…

UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard is still seeking out a new home for his training, but he will remain with his current management team.

A report on Thursday initially stated that Guillard, who stated earlier this week that he was exiting his old team at the Blackzilians, was also leaving his managers at Authentic Sports Management headed up by owner Glenn Robinson.

Robinson spoke to Bleacher Report on Thursday and confirmed that while Guillard is indeed leaving the Blackzilian team, he remains on good terms with the fighter and will still represent him as his manager.

Guillard teamed up with his manager in 2011 and shortly thereafter moved to Florida to begin training with the newly formed team started by Robinson and headed up by former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans and fellow veterans Jorge Santiago, Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante and others.

During his time as full-time member at the Blackzilians, Guillard‘s UFC record was 1-3 overall including dropping recent back-to-back fights to former training partner Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and most recently a split decision to Jamie Varner at UFC 155.

Following the recent two-fight skid, Guillard made the announcement on Sunday that he was leaving the Blackzilians and re-teaming with his old trainers at Greg Jackson’s MMA in New Mexico.  Guillard was part of Team Jackson for a few years where he saw the biggest success during his UFC career and was likely only a fight away from a title shot when he suffered a loss to Joe Lauzon at UFC 136 in 2011.

While Guillard looked to go home again, the move was rebuffed as reports surfaced just hours later that stated in fact the former Ultimate Fighter Season 2 cast member would not be welcome back at Jackson’s after the two parties split just a year-and-a-half earlier.

Guillard has yet to make a formal statement about his exit from the Blackzilians or his potential return to Jackson’s MMA since his Twitter post on Sunday. 

It appears as of now, Guillard is still a fighter without a home in regards to his training, but he still has a management team behind him while he awaits word on what’s next for his career.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Melvin Guillard’s 2010 Assault Charges Might Have Something to Do With Team Jackson Rejecting His Return


(Sorry Melvin, you know the rules — every time you screw up, we post this picture of you. / Photo via CombatLifestyle)

As we mentioned yesterday, Melvin Guillard‘s announcement that he was leaving the Blackzilians for his old home at Jackson’s MMA was quickly shut down by the Albuquerque-based team, who apparently doesn’t want him back. According to MMAJunkie, it wasn’t only due to Guillard’s lack of loyalty in changing camps — a pair of 2010 assault charges could have also been a factor. Here’s the story:

Two months before UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard announced via Twitter that he was returning to Team Jackson-Winkeljohn in Albuquerque, N.M., the gym’s leaders voted to keep him from doing so. Guillard had inquired about a potential reunion through former teammates, who then passed word to the gym’s administration. The vote was unanimous.

“The Young Assassin” had angered the team in interviews he gave about a move this past year to Florida’s “Blackzilians” team, a source close to the MMA team told MMAjunkie.com. Adding to concerns, Guillard has two outstanding assault charges against him from separate incidents in Albuquerque in 2010…

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. A jury trial on the assault charges is set for April 10, where he faces six months in jail for each count, in addition to fines and probation.


(Sorry Melvin, you know the rules — every time you screw up, we post this picture of you. / Photo via CombatLifestyle)

As we mentioned yesterday, Melvin Guillard‘s announcement that he was leaving the Blackzilians for his old home at Jackson’s MMA was quickly shut down by the Albuquerque-based team, who apparently doesn’t want him back. According to MMAJunkie, it wasn’t only due to Guillard’s lack of loyalty in changing camps — a pair of 2010 assault charges could have also been a factor. Here’s the story:

Two months before UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard announced via Twitter that he was returning to Team Jackson-Winkeljohn in Albuquerque, N.M., the gym’s leaders voted to keep him from doing so. Guillard had inquired about a potential reunion through former teammates, who then passed word to the gym’s administration. The vote was unanimous.

“The Young Assassin” had angered the team in interviews he gave about a move this past year to Florida’s “Blackzilians” team, a source close to the MMA team told MMAjunkie.com. Adding to concerns, Guillard has two outstanding assault charges against him from separate incidents in Albuquerque in 2010…

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. A jury trial on the assault charges is set for April 10, where he faces six months in jail for each count, in addition to fines and probation.

Team Jackson was reportedly caught off guard when Guillard tweeted the news that he was returning. “He’s not allowed back here,” said MMAJunkie’s anonymous source.

Though details on the assault charges are scarce, it’s not the first time that Guillard has been in the news for bad behavior. Following his submission loss to Joe Stevenson in April 2007, Guillard’s pre-fight urine sample tested positive for cocaine, and he was suspended from competition for eight months. Four months later, Guillard was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, and was subsequently jailed for probation violation.

Guillard has gone 1-4 over his last five fights, most recently losing a split-decision against Jamie Varner at UFC 155. We’ll update you when Guillard answers his assault charges in court next month.