Melvin Guillard vs. Thiago Tavares set for The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale

[steph05050]

A lightweight contest between Melvin Guillard (21-7-2 MMA, 5-3 UFC) and Thiago Tavares (14-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has been added to The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale fight card.

While the bout was originally reported as a possibility for UFC 101 in August, sources close to Guillard today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) the fight will actually take place at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale in June.

The finale, which concludes "The Ultimate Fighter: U.S. vs. U.K.," is scheduled for June 20 at the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The main card airs live on Spike TV.

Bout agreements for the Guillard vs. Tavares fight were recently distributed and signed. However, the UFC hasn't officially announced the bout.

Guillard, the controversial former cast member of "The Ultimate Fighter 2," will be looking to build on a two-fight win streak. "The Young Assassin" earned a March 2008 victory outside the UFC, but he returned with a stunning 36-second TKO win over Dennis Siver at UFC 86 in July 2008.

The two consecutive wins followed a difficult stretch of back-to-back emotionally charged defeats at the hands of Rich Clementi and Joe Stevenson.

Tavares is looking to build on his recent win after battling through a series of defeats. The American Top Team-trained fighter earned a unanimous decision win over "The Ultimate Fighter 5" runner-up Manny Gamburyan at UFC 94 in January after winning just one of his previous four contests in the organization.


Source (http://mmajunkie.com/news/14430/melvin-guillard-vs-thiago-tavares-set-for-tuf-9-finale.mma)

[FunkYou]

Hopefully Taveres will take Guillard down make him tappety tap tap. I can't think of a fighter I care less about than Melvin.

[LeeM]

Taveres will tap him if he doesn't act like a fool.

[Thaispider]

im backing thavares for the win , do you think the loser of this fight could get the chop from the ufc?

[FunkYou]

They both one their last fight before this so I wouldn't expect it but nothing surprises me about the UFC's cutting decisions.

[JT42]

I think Melvin gets cut regularly. Hasnt he been cut before? He just wins a couple and comes back. But I definitely see Tavares constantly shooting in until he gets Melvin down and then quickly tapping him

[Wise]

Melvin is gonna go to sleep in this one. Put your arm even near his neck and its tap tap tap time.

[southpaw447]

Melvin's dumb ass better have been putting in some serious work on his ground game.

I personally think Melvin guillard is the biggest waste of talent. He's geneticallyy gifted with speed, explosiveness and athleticism but he seems content to piss it away.

I really don't feel sorry for his underperformance because he chooses not to round out his game.

But I will be pulling for him in this fight. I personally can't stand Tavares something about him just irritates me.

[screenamesuck]

As much as I hate Guillard, I can see this fight going either way. Guillard is the faster more powerful striker, but Tavares is more than capable of out striking him. Now if he can get the fight to the ground I don't see it lasting long. I see this fight going to decision though for Tavares as of right now

[ThatGuyJae]

Melvin's dumb ass better have been putting in some serious work on his ground game.

I personally think Melvin guillard is the biggest waste of talent. He's geneticallyy gifted with speed, explosiveness and athleticism but he seems content to piss it away.

I really don't feel sorry for his underperformance because he chooses not to round out his game.

But I will be pulling for him in this fight. I personally can't stand Tavares something about him just irritates me.

I agree Melivin doesn't seem to care which is too bad. If he would have been working on rounding his game out these last couple of years he would be a force in the LW division (assuming he could stay out of trouble) he has some amazing genetic gifts if only he would take everything more seriously. I will be pulling for him to win this fight i'm pretty neutral about Tavares no love or hate for him.

[Brad.Taschuk]

Both of these guys haven't accomplished nearly what they could have, but Thiago is the more consistent performer. If he doesn't feel the need to try to stand with Melvin (even though he's technically the better striker), he'll win on the ground faster than you can blink.

[Suizida]

This TUF card is off the charts

Sanchez v Diego
Rumble v Matt Brown
Tavares v Guillard.

UHHHHH, im excited :D
Could go either way i guess, but ill give it to tavares

[Brad.Taschuk]

Wow, Mike Brown is gonna have trouble in there against a guy who has at least 30 pounds on him. :p

I hear what you're saying though. Those 3 fights, plus the two TUF final fights, and the main card is already set.

[Suizida]

Wow, Mike Brown is gonna have trouble in there against a guy who has at least 30 pounds on him. :p

I hear what you're saying though. Those 3 fights, plus the two TUF final fights, and the main card is already set.

lol, fixed. But even then i'd still think Mike Brown could take it :D

[zzTIGERzz81]

About time Melvin gets another fight...if he loses this, I am done supporting him...I think that the loser is gone from the UFC TBH though.

Melvin could KO him quickly or tap from anything Thiago wants to attempt. If Guillard doesn't look like he has learned anything on the ground if it goes there then I will be severely disappointed.

I think it will take an unconventional takedown from Tavares to get it to the ground though.

[PirateNinja415]

I'm really hoping tavares gets the submission in this fight. melvin's ground game is non existent but he has has some serious striking power, so i really hope tavares chooses to take this fight to the ground early and sinks in a sub quickly.

[FunkYou]

All Guillard has is power. Technically his striking blows and as everyone has already says he has an Alexander like ground game.