“The Young Assassin” Melvin Guillard (black trunks) will rely on his devastating KO power to overcome the Muay Thai skills of Donald Cerrone at UFC 150. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
The UFC follows up on its best FOX card to date with a highly anticipated Pay-Per-View as UFC 150 comes out of Denver, Colorado’s Pepsi Center this Saturday night. Featherweights set the pace when “Blessed” Max Holloway (5-1) and the undefeated “The American Kid” Justin Lawrence (4-0) kick off the five-fight main card. “Thunder” Yushin Okami (26-7) will try to return to the winner’s circle when he takes on Buddy Roberts(12-2). It’s a battle of submission specialists when “Short Fuse” Ed Herman faces former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields (26-7). Before “Smooth” Ben Henderson (16-2) makes his first title defense against the man he took the title from, “The Answer” Frankie Edgar (14-2-1), the co-main event sees teammates-turned-foes when “The Young Assassin” Melvin Guillard (30-10-2) steps across the cage from “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (18-4). Both used to stand side-by-side at the world-renowned Jackson’s MMA but now that the camaraderie has ceased, each is looking to use the other as a stepping stone to elevate in rank.
At First Glance: A five-win streak snapped by the hands of Nate Diaz (16-7) at the end of 2011 spoiled potential title talks for Donald Cerrone. With a dominant victory over “Lil Heathen” Jeremy Stephens (20-8) in May, Cerrone’s road back to contention leads him to his former teammate, Melvin Guillard. Guillard’s story is not too far from that of his one-time training partner. After chaining five wins himself, Guillard ‘s own aspirations of gold shattered after back-to-back first-round defeats. Much like Cerrone, he too made good by bouncing back with a victory over “Morango” Fabricio Camoes (14-7-1) at UFC 148. Now with a relocation to Boca Raton, Florida to find new perspectives to hone his craft, Guillard’s upcoming battle against Cerrone will prove whether or not he truly has the potential to challenge for a title.
Donald Cerrone’s (bottom) submission game is a serious threat to Melvin Guillard, who has struggled with skilled ground fighters in the past. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
In Depth: The striking game amongst Guillard and Cerrone is going to be one of the biggest draws of this fight and can turn in favor of either man. Guillard is well aware of his one-hit knockout potential and has made it the base of his smash-mouth approach to striking. One of the most explosive fighters on the UFC roster, Guillard has stopped the likes of Dennis Siver (20-8) and Shane Roller (11-6) all due to the right punch connecting at the right time where it left little room for recovery. Cerrone is a finisher himself but what he lacks in the instant knockout power of his opposition, he makes up for abundantly with a technical and traditional Muay Thai skillset: making good use of his leg kicks and elbows aside from the grenades he packs for fists. Each man is always game to fight and primed to exchange. That said, whomever enforces their will on the other first be it controlling the pace or landing the first clean shot can decide where the fight will go from there.
The Wild Card: The ground game needs to be considered when these two former comrades face one another. Guillard would be granted the wrestling advantage. Stronger and more prone to bursts of power, “The Young Assassin” can easily shoot in or even sprawl out should Cerrone attempt to change dimensions and even secure a takedown. Cerrone’s clear advantage on the ground is in the Jiu-Jitsu department. Should he end up on his back, Cerrone owns an excellent guard to work from. Guillard’s submission game has been his Achilles’ Heel. After disappointing losses to “The Mongoose” Jim Miller (21-4) and “J-Lau” Joe Lauzon (22-7) where he had been submitted in the first round, the wise move for Guillard was to take some time to improve this glaring hole in his skill set. If he still is too confident in his striking that he neglected his Jiu-Jitsu in relation, another three-tap symphony is in his future.
The Verdict: Falling in their pivotal fights, the upcoming battle between these two can either quicken their path back to glory or send them to the middle of the pack where other 155lbs. title hopefuls are waiting for their chance to shine. Guillard could always opt to wrestle but it’s doubtful his Jiu-Jitsu is able to defend himself from Cerrone if caught in a bad position. Standing, Guillard will look to rope “Cowboy” into a slug match. Cerrone has a better arsenal of strikes to trouble powerhouses of all kinds, especially Guillard after the time they have spent together training with one another. Expect Cerrone to dishearten Guillard with the more technical strikes and close the night out with another submission victory once the latter chooses to mistakenly shoot on him. Cerrone via Submission (Guillotine), Round 1
