UFC cuts Melvin Guillard following loss to Michael Johnson at UFC Fight Night 37

Unfortunate, but probably not that surprising.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has released former lightweight contender Melvin Guillard, after The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 2 standout went down on points to Michael Johnson in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 37, which took place earlier this month in London, England.

From MMA Fighting:

[Manager Malki] Kawa said Guillard, who wasn't available for comment, is handling the news well and eager to move forward.

"We're working to get him signed somewhere else," he said. "I'm going to do what's best for Melvin."

Kawa wouldn't disclose any potential landing spots for Guillard at this time.

Guillard -- no stranger to controversy outside the cage as well as inside it -- dropped to 31-13 with his loss to "The Menace" and stands just 2-5 with one "no contest" dating back to late 2011. In addition, he drew the ire of UFC President Dana White after "running" across the pond.

From the UFC Fight Night 37 post-fight press conference (watch it):

"There's no doubt Melvin ran the entire fight and was incredibly passive, the complete opposite of how he used to fight. There was a lot of smack talk leading up to that fight, and those are the fights that everybody gets excited about, and nine times out of 10 they end up like tonight. Those drive me crazy."

Onward and upward.

Where Guillard ends up (and when) remains to be seen, but with options like Bellator MMA, ONE FC and World Series of Fighting (WSOF), he's likely to land on his feet. He's also just 30 years old and still has name value, so there's plenty of time to get his career back on track in the coming months.

Do you like his chances?