Melvin Guillard Interview

IWF writer Ben Zeidler recently chatted with “The Young Assassin” Melvin Guillard about his then-upcoming fight at UFC 79 and recent loss against Joe Stevenson. In addition, Guillard gave us the last word on his cocaine suspension and had some words of his own for recently embattled Sean Sherk. Originally written for MMA Madness.

Ben Zeidler: You’re just 24 years old and yet, you have 29 fights under your belt. How long do you expect to fight and do you notice yourself improving as you get more experienced in the sport?

Melvin Guillard: I have 39 fights, actually. They don’t have them all listed on there. I’m improving everyday, especially with my ground game. As long as I’m healthy, I’ll continue to fight. Randy Couture is almost 45 and he still does it, so it’s all about how you live and keep up with your body. Hopefully, I’ll have a long and prosperous trip in this sport. I love it so much, man. Even when I’m done with fighting, I’m gonna do coaching and all those good things.

BZ: You’ve really improved since your loss to Josh Burkman on TUF 2. What did that loss teach you about fighting in a major organization like the UFC? Was it your “welcome to the big time” moment?

MG: It was a perfect place to get all my nerves off. I was nervous to fight in front of Dana [White] and by the time I got in front of huge crowds, I was comfortable. I actually like a big crowd – it’s the smaller setting and getting that out of the way that is tougher. But after I did, it was a breeze and it was all downhill from there.

BZ: You’ve beaten a former WEC champ in Gabe Ruediger and current contender Marcus Davis. Would you call one of these wins your biggest or does another come to mind?

MG: They’re just wins to me. They weren’t real big things. Marcus is a way better fighter than when we fought. I’d still have the upper hand if we fought today, but he’s much better than when I beat him. Ruediger, I don’t think we’ll be seeing much more of him. Once you quit the show, you quit it all. My biggest fight was the Joe Stevenson fight. It’s the fight that I look at the most because I was the main event. That doesn’t happen every day. When the UFC tells you that they want you to be the main event that’s a big deal. It doesn’t happen to everyone.

BZ: What’s it like to train with Tito and Team Punishment?

MG: I moved to Houston, so I’m not with Tito anymore. I moved here during the Stevenson training and I love it. I’m [fighting] out of the Metro Fight Club now.

BZ: I recently read that you got your BJJ blue belt under Ricco Rodriguez. What has that experience -- working with a former champion – been like?

MG: It’s good, man. I’ve been focusing on my weaknesses and obviously my weak point is my jiu-jitsu. I got caught in silly submissions before, but now I’m the one putting people in them. I really want to be a well-rounded fighter and I’m putting myself to the test to see if I can roll with some of the best. I’m going to be doing some submission and grappling tournaments too, to keep my skills sharp.

BZ: Tell us what the deal is with testing positive for cocaine. I spoke with Sherk yesterday and he was telling me about some of the accuracy problems that these facilities have – samples mixing, cleaning not being done, and so on. Do you feel that something like that may have happened with your sample?

MG: I made my mistake. I did wrong… and I faced my time. I never thought they messed up my sample. You know, us, as adults and fighters, we have to take responsibility for our actions. That’s coward of him to say if that’s what he said. That’s his business though and I won’t really get into that. My negative experience is behind me and I have to look to the future. I don’t even really want to talk about that anymore because it is in the past.

BZ: Let’s talk about your upcoming UFC 79 fight against Rich Clementi. He’s a skilled submission artist. What are you doing in your training to prepare for this?

MG: Lots of ground game. I’m upping the ante on this one. I think that Rich is one-dimensional and I’m not predicting a KO or how fast I’m going to beat him. I just want my hand raised at the end. This fight means the world to me. I have a lot of animosity towards this guy and I need to beat him so I can walk around here with my head up. I don’t want people to be able to tell me that Rich Clementi beat my ass. When you’re young and the neighborhood bully is coming around, you get into a fight every time you see him. That’s not what I want with Rich. I’m trying to fight him here, beat him, and give him his walking papers.

BZ: How do you feel you match up to Rich?

MG: I’m not giving away my secrets. Everyone already expects a certain fight from me but I’m throwing some twists and turns in there. It’s not just going to be my usual aggressive stand up. I’m gonna work him hard for 15 minutes.

BZ: So you’re saying not to get a beer during the fight?

MG: That’s right, and if you gotta go to the bathroom, either go before or hold it because this is one fight you don’t want to miss. It’s going to be the fight of the night.

BZ: Is there any bad blood between you guys?

MG: There’s always bad blood. I have no respect for him and if there’s anyone on this God given earth that I want to beat, this is the guy. I tried to apologize to him and he accepted it and then snaked me after accepting it and said all this other stuff. I’m through with him. I just want to wash my hands of him.

BZ: Provided you win the fight, whom would you like to take on next?

MG: Right now, I just want to pay attention to this fight. But after it, I would like to take on Roger Huerta. So look forward to that one down the line. I think it’s a great match up and hopefully the UFC people will make it happen.

BZ: Would you ever want a rematch with Joe Stevenson?

MG: Oh yeah, down the line, I’d have a rematch with him. I’m hoping that he wins the title and if the Lord blesses him with it, then maybe they will see me as a good first title defense. He beat me in only 27 seconds though, so it’s tough for me to say that I deserve it. I’m going to take Clementi now, but down the line I could see it happening.

BZ: It’s a big card on December 29th. Let’s get some predictions for the big fights that night.

BZ: Guillard vs. Clementi?

MG: I think it will be the fight of the night and hopefully I will honor myself with a bonus.

BZ: Liddell vs. Silva?

MG: I’m gonna give it to Chuck. He throws straight punches and Wanderlei doesn’t have the reach.

BZ: St. Pierre vs. Hughes?

MG: St. Pierre. I’ll always take St. Pierre. You would be crazy to go against him.

BZ: Any sponsors you’d like to thank?

MG: So many, man. Warrior Wear, Suzuki performance, there’s so many I don’t even know all of them.

BZ: Any last words for the fans?

MG: The only thing I can send is a formal apology. I let them down, but I’m back, focused, and ready to fight.