Well, the "old" Melvin Guillard is back. That's the one who gets tapped out early in the big fight.
Joe Lauzon resurrected the old Melvin by first hurting him on the feet with a short sharp left hook that shocked Guillard and then bullrushing him to force a ground fight. Once on top of Guillard, Lauzon quickly took his back and worked for a rear naked choke.
Guillard was game, but Lauzon flattened him out and changed to a palm-to-palm grip that forced Guillard to tap out.
Lightweights Melvin Guillard and Joe Lauzon opened the pay-per-view portion of the UFC 136 card.
It's too bad because the dangerous Guillard had the makings of a compelling and dangerous threat to take the light weight title in a way that Lauzon just isn't. But, alack and alas, Lauzon remains the prototypical fighter Guillard can't get past. All it takes is the gameness to straight up trade with Melvin on the feet and then go for the kill on a stunned, scared Guillard on the ground.