Reviving an ‘Assassin’

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Due to his relationship with longtime coach Saul Soliz, who also coached former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, Guillard was working out with Team Punishment in Big Bear, Calif. The failed test allegedly severed those ties, a development that still seems to irk Guillard.

“[Ortiz] turned his back on me and kicked me off the team, or whatever he wanted to call a team,” he says. “I was never really a big fan of Tito, but I trained with Tito because of coach Saul. When he turned his back on me and just dropped me from sponsorships and stuff, I really didn’t care, but at that time, I got to find out who my real family was and who the so-called people were who were fake.”

Upon returning from his UFC-mandated hiatus, Guillard faced Clementi, the man who defeated his wrestling coach six years earlier. Guillard initially looked up to his UFC 79 adversary for beating Donley, but eventually competitive fires burned bridges between the two.

“I was in the gym and Rich comes in, and I get all excited,” Guillard says. “I’m, like, ‘Man, this is the guy that knocked my coach out. I really want to train with this guy.’ He was actually training me, teaching me stuff.”

As Guillard came into his own, he claims he noticed a change in Clementi.

“He started taking it more personal, like he’s losing his fan base because of me, and the next thing you know, he just started slandering my name,” he says. “And when he’d see me, he’d smile in my face like nothing was said.”

Their feud boiled over at an event in Louisiana, where both men were in attendance.

“He walks in, shaking everybody’s hand,” Guillard says. “He walks up to shake my hand, and I just hit him.”

Venom flowed freely in the weeks leading up to their meeting in the Octagon, but Guillard’s performance proved to be no match for his pre-fight bluster, as Clementi finished him with a rear-naked choke in the first round. To this day, Guillard regrets the mindset he had going into the match.

“You never fight with emotion,” he says. “I hated this guy so much I wasn’t even thinking. I was just going out there angry.”

Back-to-back embarrassing losses with the drug suspension sandwiched in between didn't seem to foreshadow future greatness.

Finding a Home

Although Guillard got his start in MMA thanks to Donley, much of his UFC tenure was spent under the guidance of Soliz. His time training at the Houston Metro Fight Club was spent with partners like Edwards and Lee King. Edwards and King were stabilizing influences for Guillard, but much of the rest of the gym’s population rubbed him the wrong way.

“Some of the other guys were just so unhappy all the time and so negative,” he says. “Being around negative people just brings negative energy. From there, I was just, like, ‘I’ve got to get out of here.’”

The final straw came at “The Ultimate Fighter 9” Finale in June 2009, when Guillard claims Soliz failed to show up to corner him against Gleison Tibau. Guillard took a split-decision victory, but the absence of his coach was something he deemed inexcusable.

“I’m over it now,” he says, “but I just felt like if I’m one of the star guys in your gym and I’m in the biggest organization in there is and everything I do rides on winning or losing, you should be there.”

By either fate or coincidence, Guillard met Greg Jackson and Donald Cerrone in the locker room that night at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Having already been encouraged by Stevenson to make the trek to New Mexico, Guillard approached the trainer and found he was welcome to give the team a shot.

After a submission loss to Nate Diaz three months later, Guillard decided to accept Jackson’s offer. The move paid off, not only with the unblemished record in 2010 but with finding a sense of belonging.

“I fit right in,” he says. “You don’t get this family atmosphere at other gyms like you do here.”

There is still much work to do before a childhood goal can be achieved. Guillard will not be favored against Dunham, whose lone loss in 12 career fights was a controversial split decision setback to former champion Sean Sherk. Many, including Guillard, thought Dunham won that bout. It may take more than one fight to get there, but Guillard maintains the same tunnel vision he has always had.

“I’m a lot closer. I’m so close right now I can touch it. I can feel it,” he says. “It’s one thing to think you can do something, but I know right now in my heart that I’m gonna win the title. Nobody’s gonna stand in front of me.”

Guillard maintains frequent contact with Donley, who still offers advice when solicited.

“I’m real proud of the kid,” Donley says. “I’m proud of him just like I’m proud of the guys on my team that went on to become physical therapists or business owners. It just so happened that he found success from something that was a big part of my life.

“I think the sky’s the limit for him,” he adds. “I could tell the kid, at 14 years old, had physical tools, and he does have the drive to win. If you push the right buttons, he’ll train like an animal. Obviously, I think somebody’s doing that for him now. It’s almost like he’s my son; that’s how proud I am of him.”