Melvin Guillard: "...switch me over to the WEC because its about being a champion"
UFC.com has an interesting piece on UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard, who is back in the Octagon at UFC 86 after taking some time to work on his game.
Guillard is currently riding a two-fight losing streak in the UFC with his last fight a UFC 79 loss last December to rival Rich Clementi. While 2007 was a bad year for Guillard (two losses and a cocaine suspension), he's won a tune-up fight outside the UFC this year and looks to work his way back up the ranks starting with his UFC 86 bout against Dennis Siver.
But, it looks like Guillard is realistic about his chances of becoming the UFC lightweight champ right now and if he can't make it in the UFC, he would like the opportunity to fight in the WEC's lightweight division -- a division he apparently believes he can dominate.
Guillard says in the piece:
“Right now it’s tough. You got guys like Spencer Fisher, Frankie Edgar, I can name so many. You even got Rich in there. It gets tougher and you just got to train harder, but right now I’m going to give it a shot and try to become UFC champion. But for future reference, if that doesn’t work and I don’t feel that I’m going to be a champion in the UFC then switch me over to the WEC because its about being a champion and I want to go somewhere where I can be a champion right now. I’m not going to be naïve and a hypocrite but I don’t see myself beating BJ Penn right now, he’s a top guy. Anybody under him, yeah, I can go head to head with and I could give it a shot, but I’m not going to sit here and say that my skills are good enough to beat BJ Penn right now because his ground game is way off the charts. Guys like (WEC lightweight champion) Jamie Varner and (Rob) McCullough and guys like that - those guys are tailor made for me to fight. I’m gonna give it a shot and give it a run, but if I fall short again, I’ll be looking forward to moving somewhere else so I can become a champion.”
For the full article, head over to UFC.com.
(Photo of Melvin Guillard courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
Comments
sooo does that mean every
sooo does that mean every other fighter should just go to smaller promotions just to have a belt?
Underboss MMAfia
Head of the West Coast Family
2x Ultimate Challenge Champion
interesting, in this
interesting, in this instance he would rather be the big fish in the small pond and accept that its probably going to result in smaller paychecks too
i dont know if you will achieve hall of fame status by being in too small of a promotion but i like that he is realistic about his place in the division ... but at the same time, its kind of weird when a fighter doesnt talk about wanting to always fight the best and the expected rhetoric
A reliable source just told
A reliable source just told me that Rich Franklin read Guillard's comments and realized how correct he is... Franklin plans on leaving the UFC once his contract runs out to head over to EliteXC to take the belt from Robbie Lawler...
Franklin was also quoted as saying, "I'd love to go be part of the same organization as the greatest fighter of our generation Kimbo Slice."
-The Captain
It is tough when the top guy
It is tough when the top guy is so much better than the rest of the competition.
I think in Guillard's case, he probably believes that being a dominant fighter in a Zuffa promotion and still being on cable tv and maybe also being marketed as a star is better than being a middle-of-the road guy in the UFC.
If he actually does become champ in the WEC, maybe he could end up making more money than he does in the UFC.
But, if he's looking for healthy competition and TV exposure, I'd say EliteXC has a better lightweight division than WEC. Or maybe he knows that too...
I doubt he would be champ in
I doubt he would be champ in WEC either. He is all talk and no action. When he loses he always says he wanted to stand up and fight but his opponent took it to the ground. Well then work on your damn ground game. His mouth is going to get him kicked out the UFC altogether. This kid is a mouthy punk and needs to grow up. He wants everything handed to him on a silver platter and do as little as he can to be a rich superstar...someone tell him that it doesn't work that way.
Head of the MMAfia's Canadian Family - Canada Eh!
at least he's not
at least he's not disillusioned like alot of people saying how they can beat anderson silva, GSP, etc. he knows he's a middle of the road fighter.
they're definitely strange comments, but if he doesn't deserve to be in an A league then I've got nothing wrong with someone being sent to where they deserve to fight.
He is still a punk
He is still a punk papa...lol I think thats the point though too. You should be sent to where you deserve to fight, not make a public statement about it. Hes saying if he cant make it then I want to do this. Just shut your mouth and fight. He wont be champ in WEC either right now...he needs to grow up.
Head of the MMAfia's Canadian Family - Canada Eh!
Post new comment