UFN 19 Preview: Improved Melvin Guillard Set to Face Nate Diaz

In the main event of the evening at UFC Fight Night 19 taking place on Wednesday night from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, The Ultimate Fighter season 5 winner Nate Diaz (10-4) will take on the explosive, heavy-handed striker Melvin Guillard (22-7-2-1) in a lightweight match-up. While Gray Maynard vs. Roger Huerta will garner a little more attention than this bout, the fight is an interesting style match-up for both fighters. Diaz has the Brazilian jiu-jitsu credentials to give Guillard massive problems on the floor, but in typical Diaz fashion -- he'll likely want to put on a show in the stand-up game. Guillard is one of the most explosive strikers in the lightweight division, so he could present an unique challenge for Diaz if Diaz chooses to try to challenge himself with Guillard's power punching.

Diaz is coming off two straight losses dropping a split decision to Clay Guida at UFC 94 and being handled by a rejuvenated Joe Stevenson at The Ultimate Fighter season 9 Finale. Diaz was exposed as a fighter who, much like his brother Nick, has problems dealing with top controlling wrestlers who can avoid submissions. He'll need to bounce back against Guillard in impressive fashion to begin making an ascension back toward the more relevant battles.

Melvin Guillard seems to be a fighter that the UFC remains in love with despite his sketchy track record. He's been a poster boy for impressive knockouts in the UFC as he's scored brutal victories over Dennis Siver, Gabe Ruediger, Rick Davis, and Marcus Davis.  In eleven fights within the promotion, Guillard has went 8-3 with losses to Rich Clementi, Joe Stevenson, and Josh Neer. Following his loss to Stevenson at UFN 9, Guillard test positive for cocaine and was suspended for 8 months and fined $2,100 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. In January 2009, Guillard was released from prison after serving six months for possession of cocaine. He came back to the UFC five months later in June with a split decision upset victory over Gleison Tibau.

Diaz trains out of Cesar Gracie jiu-jitsu with his brother Nick Diaz along with training partners Jake Shields and Gilbert Melendez. The camp has a strong background in jiu-jitsu, but it should have the training partners to mask wrestlers, something both Diaz brothers have failed at stopping in the past. Nate, much like his brother, loves to stand and bang, and he uses the services of boxing coach Richard Perez along with his brother Nick to hone those skills. Diaz has been stating he'd like someone to stand in front of him, something Guillard is more than willing to do.

Guillard has been training down in Texas with Saul Soliz at Metro Fight Club where Ricco Rodriguez is a grappling instructor. Guillard has gained some more depth to his ground game as he is a blue belt under Ricco, but he's still primarily looking to crush opponents with his punching power. The camp also houses training partners Carlo Prater and Lee King. Guillard does have a Lousiana State wrestling championship under his belt, so he'll at least have the ability to give Diaz some danger from the top. He's shown that he's evolving as a fighter as well as he did manage to defeat a tough BJJ fighter in Gleison Tibau.

Overall, this is a tough fight to pick. Guillard has shown improvement on the ground, and he is learning techniques to regain positions and avoid damage on the floor. I think the real problem is Diaz's length and active guard. It'll ultimately help him sink some submission holds on the smaller Guillard in this fight. If Nate wants to stand with Guillard, his reach will be a nice advantage, but can he avoid Guillard's power? It should be an interesting main event to a respectable free card on SpikeTV.