Guillard I hit ‘five or six times harder’ after latest camp
UFC lightweight contender Melvin Guillard spoke with the media in preparation for his fight against Joe Lauzon this weekend at…
UFC lightweight contender Melvin Guillard spoke with the media in preparation for his fight against Joe Lauzon this weekend at UFC 136.The Young Assassin’ has been reflecting. It hasn’t always been easy for the fighter from Louisiana who has faced personal demons that have held him back time and time again. Guillard, who has finally turned a corner in his career, is in a position to take the next big step and potentially be granted a title shot should he defeat Joe Lauzon on Saturday.
Melvin decided to leave his long time camp at Greg Jackson’s academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico to train with long time friend and teammate Rashad Evans at Imperial Aathletics. He believes the change of camp has improved the skills he already possessed.
“It hasn’t that changed that much,” said Guillard. “Like I’ve been telling everybody. I already had my style of fighting that I invented myself a long time ago.”
“But it’s always good to get help from world class trainers. My agent brought in Henriq, he’s a dutch kickboxing champion from Holland, I couldn’t wait to go work with him. And honestly, since I worked with him, I’ve hit five or six times harder than what I was hitting. All because the Dutch way of fighting is very powerful. He showed me some ways of channeling my punches and kicks into a little bit more power. I’m excited myself for Saturday because I’m excited to see what’s about to happen.”
“Yes, I’m still training in Albuquerque. Yes, I’m still affiliated with Jackson’s. But I have to make decisions in my career that’s gonna help Melvin. I don’t care about the egos or whatever Rashad and Jon [Jones] got going on. They’re both my good friends. Rashad’s like a brother to me since season two of The Ultimate Fighter. I’ll never turn my back on either one of those guys. I just hope that they can sort this stuff out and get their stuff together.”
“I’m not the middle man. I’m there for me. Right now, it’s sad to say but I have to be selfish to a sense because I have to get my title. Those guys have already tasted success. They know what it feels like to be champion and have Dana put that belt around their waist. I haven’t tasted that yet. Right now I think I have a good formula for success and I’m gonna stick to it.”