Melvin Guillard’s Here and Now

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Melvin Guillard is not thinking about the past, even though he has fought professionally for more than 16 years and plied his trade on some of the biggest stages in the sport. Instead, the veteran lightweight is focused on his present and his future.

Next stop: Bellator MMA. Guillard will make his organizational debut when he takes on Brandon Girtz in the Bellator 141 main event on Friday at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif. “The Young Assassin” will serve as a centerpiece a mere three months after locking arms with the Viacom-backed promotion.

“Signing with Bellator has allowed me to be with a great organization and fight as much as I want, and that’s what I really wanted to do,” Guillard told Sherdog.com. “The more I fight, the better I am. Being in a gym for four or five months waiting for one fight is a waste of my time. If I can fight four or five times per year, I’m going to do it. Lots of companies want some time to promote fights, but I hope we can work out something where Bellator can promote my fights but I still stay busy. As long as I can keep busy, [I will] be a happy camper. I want to get back to finishing fights and making fans happy. I want to be a highlight-reel fighter, make people happy and make myself happy.”

Guillard agreed to terms with Bellator in May, not long after he asked for and received his release from the World Series of Fighting. The 32-year-old New Orleans failed to make weight for either of his WSOF bouts, including a title fight against the unbeaten Justin Gaethje, and was pulled from a WSOF 20 matchup against Ozzy Dugulubgov after failing to submit his medicals. Guillard was released shortly after.

“I’d rather not talk about WSOF,” Guillard said. “I already have enough people asking about the UFC, but I want to focus on Bellator and not dwell on it.”

Prior to his WSOF stint, Guillard went 12-9 with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, including triumphs over Dennis Siver, Gleison Tibau, Jeremy Stephens and Evan Dunham. However, a 2-4 mark with one no-contest across his last seven bouts led to his release in March 2014. Guillard signed with the WSOF, but his heart remained in the UFC.

“I didn’t put forth the effort to make weight,” he said. “I wasn’t happy about being cut by the UFC. I thought it was unjust and that carried over to WSOF, but now I’ve moved on and I have a big opportunity with Bellator. I’m happy with the situation and the contract, so I can go back to gym and be happy.”

Guillard likes how his preparations for Girtz have gone.

“Camp’s going good,” said Guillard, who sports 21 knockouts among his 32 professional victories. “This is my first full camp in the last 18 months or two years, which I’m happy about. It’s been a consistent camp. I’m walking around light and am very optimistic. I’m eager and ready to get on to the next fight. I want to get at least two or three fights before the end of year.”

Girtz has won three of his last four bouts. In his most recent appearance in September, he took just 57 seconds to knock out Benny Madrid at Bellator 126. He then suffered an ACL injury in training but was cleared to return in May. The Northway Martial Arts product is 4-2 under the Bellator banner and owns seven submission wins among his 11 career victories. Girtz was an NCAA All-American wrestler at Minnesota State University, a Division II school in the Gopher State.

“From what I saw, he’s very impressive,” Guillard said. “He’s more like a wrestler-bralwer, like I was when I first started. Everybody’s a threat at this level, though. To be able to fight here takes a lot of heart. The guy has talent, but I have more talent and I’m more athletic. I know I hit harder. I’m very fast and very powerful.

“I’m not focusing too much on how good the other fighter is,” he added. “I focus on being in shape and just outdoing the other fighter. Crazy things happen, but my focus is on being in shape and being ready. I take my hat off to him, but he hasn’t fought anybody like me.”

Should Guillard get by Girtz, he hopes to fight again relatively quickly. He realizes his road to the 155-pound championship in Bellator is blocked by American Top Team teammate and current Bellator titleholder Will Brooks. Guillard claims he is more than willing to move up in weight for a title shot.

“Right now, the fight card I’m looking at is Nov. 6,” he said. “I love being on cards where I have teammates fighting, and Will Brooks is fighting on that card. It keeps the brotherhood really close. I want to fight as much as possible. They want to make sure to have time to promote me, but I want to stay busy. Even if I’m the first fight of the night, I just want to be on the card. I hope I can get on there. It’s been mentioned. I’m not going to fight my teammate, but if I have to move to 170 [pounds] to fight for a title, I’ll do that. [Brooks] and I have a relationship, and I want that to be stronger. If he’s the champ, I’ll sit on the sidelines and cheer for him. I don’t mind going to fight at 170. I’m strong and fast enough to fight at 170.”

Guillard revealed that he considered walking away from the sport over the past couple of years, but that his love for the fight game brought him back. He would like to win a championship in Bellator to put a final stamp on his career.

“The one and only thing left for me is to be a titleholder,” Guillard said. “That’s what everybody fights for, to be No. 1. It’s about being a world champion. When I wanted to quit about 18 months ago, it was because of being released and personal things, but I thought about it and decided to see what would happen. I reassessed my situation and went to work at a regular job, and it wasn’t for me. I’m not a normal human being, and it wasn’t for me.

“I was blessed with a chance for Bellator to sign me,” he added. “They could’ve said no and not signed me. I was proud and happy when they did that. I want to earn their trust and for them to know I’m here to work hard, help the organization and be a world champion they can market.”