Guillard: I’d rather just be in the UFC, than be the WSOF champion

After a long career in the UFC, Melvin Guillard has most recently been fighting for the WSOF, where he is 1-1 and scheduled to fight on April 10th. Fighting for a different organization has been eye opening for the veteran and his focus now is putting together a win streak to return to the UFC.

I still think I’m the better fighter (than Justin Gaehtje), I’m the better athlete, you know what I mean? I just wasn’t in the best shape I should have been in. I had trouble making weight. So all those things played a factor, and then when I missed weight and I wasn’t fighting for the title, I was already mentally beat anyway. You know what I mean? And on top of that, I let them take 50 percent of my purse. So technically speaking I shouldn’t have even gotten in the ring, but on top of that, you know after I agreed to take the fight, Ali [Abdelaziz] the promoter for World Series, he promised me a fight like a lot sooner. I was supposed to fight in February and then he kind of reneged on that. So right now, you know even going into this fight I look at it like some people promise you things and they fall back on their word; because technically speaking I shouldn’t have even took that fight. I stepped over my agent and was like ‘nah, I want to take the fight’, you know cause if I had not fought, Ali and them, they probably would have lost a lot of ratings that night.

He kind of reneged on some of his promises and it’s funny, they never answer their phone when I need to talk to them, but yet when they want me to do interviews and they want something from me, they want to try and force me to do it. So there’s a lot of things in the company that I’m not happy about, and I’m the type of person, I’m always going to speak my mind, and there’s already other places that want to sign me. So I’m gonna go in this fight next week, I’m going to fight my ass off. I’m going to win this fight impressively so that way I have options, I have choices. You know because ultimately I’m going back to the UFC anyway.

I’m going to let them know how I feel, for when you f— over Melvin Guillard and not give him what he asked for after he swallows his pride, and takes a fight, and lets them take 50 percent; and I still fight for them, I still give them a good show that last fight, even though I didn’t make weight and fight for the title; but yet the fact that Ali didn’t man up and follow his promise, you know right now it’s a little bit personal to me.

They haven’t come through with their promises, but I mean you know what? I don’t care. At the end of the day, anybody will say anything to get you to do something, but right now for me, if I’m not getting it in writing, I’m not doing it. You know what I mean?

For me, I could care less about having sponsors from this day forward. I’ve been in this game for 21 years. I was with the UFC for almost 10 years and you know what? It’s getting to the point where everybody want a piece of something from the fighters, but yet nobody wants to deliver the fighters what they promise. You know without us, the sponsors don’t exist, the management don’t exist, the fight teams and these coaches who want to make this big money don’t exist. I remember when back coaches used to want to just coach you just because, but now it’s like everyone wants a percentage of something. My biggest beef right now is the fact that World Series didn’t deliver. You know and right now I guess they’re worried about ‘oh is he going to make weight?’. Well right now I’m walking around 165 and I’ve been at 165 for the last four weeks. So I’m way ahead of my schedule in cutting weight. So if everybody is so worried, they don’t to worry about it on that part.

Me going out there to fight and give them a good fight, that depends on World Series; because I’m not going to out there and break my neck and give them a Melvin Guillard fight if they don’t deliver on so many promises.

“Justin – I don’t take nothing from Justin. He’s a good fighter, he’s the champ right now, but technically speaking nobody really knows who he is. I mean, I’m around people right now who still – I’m getting ready to fight for World Series and Justin fought last week against Baboon, and technically some people still don’t know that World Series exists. You know what I mean? And for me, every time I turn on the TV and I watch the UFC fights, and I’m watching these guys that I competed against fight, and you know like Cowboy, everybody is still floating in the pack, you know? Me personally, that’s the best thing. I told everybody there’s ‘A-list’ fighter’s, there’s ‘B-list’ fighters. I still feel that way because I know for a fact I’m an ‘A-list’ fighter. I know for a fact that Justin; if he went to the UFC he’d probably have trouble being in the top 5. You know what I mean? I take nothing from him in World Series. He’s the best guy there is in World Series, but for me – you know I missed weight, I had personal issues going on, so that prevented me from becoming champion. If I don’t become World Series Champion, at this point it really doesn’t bother me.

To be honest, instead of being the World Series of Fighting champion I’d rather be in the UFC just fighting in the top 10 and probably never becoming the UFC world champion, if I had that option. If I had the option to be the World Series champion right now, or go back to the UFC to finish off my career with the UFC, whether I get a title shot or not, I would take that UFC contract over a World Series [contract] any day.

I’m tired of these promotions and these promoters like trying to use me to say ‘oh we need you to do this, but we’re going to give you this’. You know what? If they can’t give it to me upfront, then I don’t want it. You know what I’m saying? So I’m on my way out the door from World Series most likely. I might even a pit stop in Bellator, because right now Bellator from what I’m seeing, I hear they’re taking care of their guys and they’re paying the guys pretty decent. I mean I turned 32 yesterday, you know what I mean? My birthday was yesterday, I still feel young, I still feel good. At this point right now it’s about you paying me for talent. I’ve always felt like I was underpaid for my talent. But ultimately, yes want to go back to the UFC. I want to fight in the top ten, top five contenders, maybe even fight for the title.

This whole World Series thing, man to be honest with you, after this next fight I’m probably going to be done with it anyway.

“Me and Dana always had a great relationship. So when the time comes after I win those two or three fights that they want, then I’ll talk to him. But with the way thing have been going lately, I’ve been missing weight. That was one of his biggest issues. I even missed weight against Michael Johnson. So looking back on just the little weight cutting issues that I had, I had to change some things up, but I finally got that where I need it. So right now it’s about just winning the fights that they want. Once I win the fights that I need to win, then I’ll go to Dana to talk to him.

I love being in American Top Team, but for me it’s like I’ve always been like the ‘lone ranger’. I’ve always been that one guy that as long as I’m in shape, I’m good. I already know how to fight. So I’m not switching camps anymore if that’s what you’re asking. I’mkinda done with that. I kind of regret leaving Greg Jackson’s camp at the time I did. At the time, I was listening to Rashad [Evans] and Rashad kind of talked me into coming to South Florida; and it’s kind of crazy because I came out here with the Blackzillians, I had no success, and to be honest, s—…me and Rashad don’t even speak anymore, you know? I mean we both live right here in Florida. Occasionally I might see him at the Cigar shop whenever me and my wife would go out, but other than that I don’t really see Rashad. He don’t call me, I don’t talk to him, and it kind of sucks because me and Jon [Jones] actually had a pretty decent relationship, and I think I ruined that relationship by coming here with Rashad ultimately. You know, I’m just saying because now me and Jon don’t speak anymore.

For me, I don’t really care anymore. I don’t really care if I see any of them, you know what I’m saying? But at the end of the day, I was trying to be the bigger person and say ‘hey man, I looked at those two dudes like bigger brothers’ you know what I’m saying? But now honestly I wouldn’t piss on them if they was on fire. I’d probably set ’em on fire right now. So that’s how much I care about them.

You know me personally, I think a lot of people let money change them. I don’t know man, they start hanging around certain people, they start hanging around other people that have money instead of – you know for me, whether I have money or don’t have money, I’m always gonna be around the same people that I’ve always been around. Occasionally sometimes you gotta get rid of some people in your life, but I don’t know. I don’t know the real reason. You know what I’m saying? I mean, I’ve always done things my way. I’ve always had like a very strong personality and sometimes people can’t handle that; because for me, I’m an Alpha, I’m a leader, and I don’t take s— from nobody. So I’m not one of those people that’s going to follow you around and kiss your ass, and wants to stroke your nuts. I’m not that person. I’m not like a ‘yes man’. From what I see, a lot of people that be around Rashad though, and Jon, and whoever else, they’re ‘yes men’.

“I know how that s— feel though, because when I was in the UFC – and I wasn’t even a champion, but for me, I’m still more popular than most UFC title holders – but when I was in the UFC, I was doing good and I was winning, everybody wanted to hang out around me. Now to be honest it’s just me and my wife 90 percent of the time.

Right now, I’m working a side job, working around people, taking orders. You know, that s— gets to me. I mean because ultimately I’m a superstar, I’m a fighter; and for me to have to humble myself and swallow my pride and take orders, that says a lot about me as a man. But when I get back to the top, then I’m gonna see everybody that wants to be my friend again. So that’s how I look at Rashad [Evans]. For me, I look at it like everybody that’s around him, is around him right now because everything’s good. But when things go bad – and in life, things do get bad – you know, I don’t wish any bad on them. I hope they finish their careers on top, but when they’re done with their careers and they retire and they’re done with fighting, then they’ll see if everybody is still around.

Yeah life sucks, man. I mean it’s alright, I make the best of it, but you know I have a little floor security job at a strip club here in South Florida, and I’m sitting there and I’m taking orders from bulls— people that aren’t leaders. You know, the management suck, the people there suck, the girls suck, like everything sucks about it. But right now it’s the one thing I can do where it doesn’t interfere with training. Because me punching a clock bro isn’t my style. So if it almost feels like I don’t have to punch the clock – which I’m really not – you know what I mean? But ultimately bro, just putting up with the bulls—, like certain management.

“Like, I mean my boss, she’s a chick. Her name is Eliza. She’s a f—ing dumbass. And I got other management there that some of them are tools, some of them aren’t. You know just putting up with people’s s—, you know as a fighter I can put up with s— because I’m my own boss, you know what I mean? And the money, the different levels of pay, you’re gonna put up with something, I mean I don’t mind putting up with it. Like when I was with the UFC, I didn’t mind putting up with s— because, s— I was making good money. Now it’s like, s— I gotta work another job just to try and make it right now. You know what I mean? So that’s another reason why I’m ready to part ways with World Series and get back to the UFC or perhaps go to Bellator