Melvin Guillard is now a Bellator fighter after signing a multi-year, multi-fight deal with the promotion.
A former UFC veteran, the 23 year-old Guillard had recently been plying his trade in the World Series Of Fighting organization after a slump in form that saw him win just two of his last eight fights in the Octagon led to his release.
Things didn’t go smoothly at all for ‘The Young Assassin’ at WSOF though, missing weight for his first bout which he won against Gesias ‘JV’ Cavalcante, then missing out on the opportunity to fight for the title when he again came in over the lightweight limit.
The fight with current champion Justin Gaethje went ahead as a non-title catchweight bout and Guillard came out on the wrong end of a split decision verdict.
Not finished there, the increasingly unsettled Guillard then began to voice his dissatisfaction with life at WSOF and then failed to turn in medical documents prior to his next fight last month which resulted in the bout being scrapped on four days notice.
Given the constant turmoil it was no surprise that Guillard was granted his release from the promotion on April 30th.
Now Bellator have hit the gamble button and opted to take him on-board, hoping that he can put his troubles behind him and get back to performing in the cage where, at his best, he’s undoubtedly a fun fighter to watch and possesses the kind of KO power that fans love to watch.
Guillard has always been something of a loose cannon though, so it won’t be a big surprise if more problems occur further down the line, but for now Bellator boss Scott Coker is firmly focused on the positives of having someone of his caliber on their 155lb roster.
“We are excited to have Melvin coming onboard,” Coker stated in a press release. “With competitors the likes of lightweight champion Will Brooks, Michael Chandler, Marcin Held, Derek Anderson, Saad Awad, Dave Jansen and Patricky Pitbull on the roster already, the matchup possibilities for an exciting fighter like him are endless.”
