Enigmatic six-time UFC veteran and former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 2, Melvin Guillard, will begin his journey back to the eight-sided cage when he locks horns with Eric Regan during the main event at Rage in the Cage (RITC) 105 at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 7, according to FightNetwork.com.
"The Young Assassin" was granted a temporary release from the UFC, which he detailed in a colorful diatribe right here, after he lost to hated rival Rich Clementi via submission (rear naked choke) at UFC 79: "Nemesis" back in December 2007.
It was the second straight defeat for the Lousianna native and the first since returning from a nine-month drug suspension (cocaine) after his loss to Joe Stevenson at UFC Fight Night 9 in April 2007.
Needless to say, but 2007 was a year to forget for the 24-year-old. He hopes to change that in 2008, telling the Baltimore Sun that he's not going to fight any "chumps" on his road back to the UFC and he will do it outside of his 155-pound weight class.
Here's some background on Regan via the FightNetwork.com report:
"With wins in seven of his past 10 fights, Regan (9-7) seems to have found his stride after a rough start to his professional career. He last competed in January, when he coaxed a verbal submission out of Chris Garland at a No Limit Fighting show in Dallas."
Guillard mentioned that he needs to be careful with the opponents that he chooses because he "has to win these fights" if he has any hopes of returning to the biggest stage in mixed martial arts. He should be the favorite in his upcoming clash with Regan, but anyone who has followed Guillard's up-and-down career knows that it doesn't mean much.
For more details about this upcoming RITC event head over to the promotion's official Web site. Note: UFC heavyweight fighter Gabriel Gonzaga will also appear as a special guest and sign autographs during "the biggest MMA show ever in Arizona."
Get the latest gear
