[UFC]: secondo Greg Jackson Melvin Guillard sta per svoltare l'angolo
The talented Guillard, who has gained more fame for what he’s said and done outside the cage than in, is hoping to recharge his career after an up and down stretch that had seen him go 5-4 in his last nine UFC bouts.
Like many other fighters, Guillard has turned to Jackson to see if he can maximize his considerable skill set. And judging by his performance last weekend, he is off to a fine start, says his new coach.
“Melvin is a good kid with a ton of talent,” said Jackson after his charge took home the win over Torres. “We just need to keep working on his game and tweaking the things that aren’t quite where we want them to be. He still needs some time, but he has made some big strides in and out of the cage.”
Torres is a legitimate big-time grappler who many thought, myself included, would exploit Guillard’s Achilles heel -- the submission game. Guillard stayed poised during the first round, a period that saw him fight his way off his back and out of potential danger. That cool, calm and collected demeanor is a recent addition to the Louisiana-bred mixed martial artist.
“We try to be professional in and out of the cage,” explained Jackson. “Melvin has responded well to the motivation we have given him, and you could see a difference before and after the fight.”
Despite weathering the early storm and taking the final two frames on the judges’ scorecards, the most impressive thing, for me anyway, was the post-fight interview Guillard did inside the Octagon.
Just moments after the hard-fought win, the man known for talking smack and testing positive for cocaine after a fight, showed a completely different side than MMA fans are used to seeing.
It was a rebirth of sorts for “The Young Assassin,” who claimed his win was the first fight in his resurrected career and that all the rest -- not just his eight losses but his 22 wins too -- are irrelevant.
He also invited the fans to get behind him as he treks toward what he hopes will be a title shot some time in 2011. That is a time frame Jackson said he could get behind.
“Melvin isn’t going to win any titles just yet,” said Jackson, “but with continued hard work and dedication, he could very well be a formidable force in the lightweight division down the line.”
