Joe Stevenson vs. Melvin Guillard at UFC Fight Night 9

Twist of Lemon · 02-12-2007, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Report: Joe Stevenson vs. Melvin Guillard at UFC Fight Night 9
Posted by UFC Junkie on February 12, 2007 at 4:28 pm ET
Two of the most promising lightweights â€” and possibly fighters at any weight â€” to come out of The Ultimate Fighter reality series will meet at UFC Fight Night 9, according to MMAWeekly.com. The combatants? The Ultimate Fighter 2 welterweight winner Joe Stevenson (26-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and fellow cast member Melvin Guillard (20-5-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC).

This fight could very well be the nightâ€™s main event.

Iâ€™m saying it right now, and I truly mean it: I am more excited about this fight than probably another one scheduled for the 2007 calendar year.

And yes, Iâ€™m sure Iâ€™m about the only one.

But since appearing on the show (where an abrupt and surprising loss to Josh Burkman in the seasonâ€™s second episode sent him packing), Guillard has looked light a completely different fighter. And since dropping to the lightweight division, heâ€™s one of the biggest (and scariest) guys to ever compete at 155 pounds. His power and quickness are second to none.

Guillard was actually slated to face Dustin Hazelett at UFC 67 but had to pull out of the bout because of a hand injury.

Since the show, Guillard, a Team Punishment fighter, racked up wins over Marcus Davis (The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale), Rick Davis (UFC 60) and Gabe Ruediger (at UFC 63 with a brutal KO via body punch). His lone loss was against Josh Neer at UFC Fight Night 3. Covered in blood and close to a doctorâ€™s stoppage, Neer capitalized on Guillardâ€™s carelessness and caught him in a triangle choke. The submission exploited what many fans believe is a huge hole: Guillardâ€™s ground game.

Similarly, Stevensonâ€™s only loss in the UFC was also to Neer, when he lost a unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 4. But heâ€™s beaten Luke Cummo at The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale, and he also picked up marquee victories over Yves Edwards (UFC 61) and Dokonjonosuke Mishima (UFC 65).

This should be an interesting match. Guillard clearly has the advantage standing, and Stevenson should be the favorite if the fight goes to the ground. Regardless, both guys are highly experienced despite being very young â€” Guillard is 23, and Stevenson is 24 â€” and this bout will be a great showcase of the talent that The Ultimate Fighter series can produce.

And although I say it about many fights, this one really should have major championship implications. Whoever wins this fight should get a crack at the title in his next bout.

UFC Fight Night 9 takes place April 5 at The Palms Las Vegas. It airs on Spike TV and precedes the debut episode of The Ultimate Fighter 5.

The latest rumored UFC Fight Night 9 card, according to MMAWeekly.com, includes:

UFC FIGHT NIGHT 9 â€” April 5 on Spike TV
The Palms in Las Vegas, Nev.

Joe Stevenson vs. Melvin Guillard
Kenny Florian vs. Dokonjonosuke Mishima
Wander Braga vs. Kurt Pellegrino
Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Jeff Joslin
Wilson Gouveia vs. Hector Ramirez
Naoyuki Kotani vs. Thiago Tavares
Roan Carneiro vs. Anthony Torres

The card isn't looking to bad now that they have a nice Main Event on top of it, with Grove in the main event it just didn't look that good. Now i cant wait lol Guillard Vs Stevenson should be awesome.

WackoJako · 02-13-2007, 09:31 AM

Pretty good card. I really like Melvin and I'd love to see him get a title shot. On the same note though, Sherk vs Stevenson would be awesome.

tapout189 · 02-14-2007, 06:48 PM

sherk vs stevenson would be great! i think stevenson will win vs guilliard, altho melvin has improved alot. i think it will be similar to the stevenson-edwards @ ufc 61.

Zar333 · 02-16-2007, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tapout189

sherk vs stevenson would be great! i think stevenson will win vs guilliard, altho melvin has improved alot. i think it will be similar to the stevenson-edwards @ ufc 61.

I;m stoked for this fight, as both guys are pretty damn exciting. And I agree that Stevenson showed in his fight against Edwards that he knows how to neutralize a strikers game. However when he beat Mishima he apologised for not keeping it standing, I hope he doesn't let the fans get in his head and force him to stand with a guy who can put him out.

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Joe Stevenson vs. Melvin Guillard at UFC Fight Night 9

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