UFC 148 Fight Card Primer: Melvin Guillard Vs. Fabricio Camoes

Melvin Guillard and Fabricio Camoes face off during the UFC 148 weigh-ins at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on Friday, July, 6, 2012. Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

In a prelim fight at UFC 148, Melvin Guillard (29-10-2(1); 10-6 UFC) takes on Fabricio Camoes (14-6-1; 1-1-1 UFC). This Lightweight fight is the last of four prelims airing on FX. Guillard is currently the #16 Lightweight in the world according to the USA TODAY / MMA Nation Consensus MMA Rankings, with Camoes unranked. The UFC 148 prelims live on FX start Saturday night July 7 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, with the PPV starting two hours later.

This battle is a classic striker vs. grappler match. On one side, you have the KO power of Melvin Guillard. On the other, you have the Royler Gracie black belt in Camoes. Guillard is more experienced, and in many ways is the favorite here, but he also has shown himself to be susceptible to submissions throughout his career, which makes this quite an interesting match-up.

How do these two stack up?

Guillard: 29 years old | 5'9" | 71" reach
Camoes: 33 years old | 5'10"

What have these two done recently?

Guillard: L - Jim Miller (Sub) | L - Joe Lauzon (Sub) | W - Shane Roller (KO)
Camoes: W - Tommy Hayden (Sub) | W - Efrain Escudero (UD) | W - Steve Lopez (KO)

How did these two get here?

"The Young Assassin" Melvin Guillard first came to the UFC back in 2005 as part of The Ultimate Fighter season 2. At the time, he was a cocky and brash personality, known for both his mouth and his KO power. In recent years, he made a switch to training with Greg Jackson, and was able to become a much more disciplined fighter. He looked on the verge of a run at the UFC Lightweight title last year when he was flash submitted by Joe Lauzon. Following that up with a loss to Jim Miller, he's now in danger of dropping three straight fights by submission, which would be a massive setback. Currently, Guillard trains with the Imperial Athletics Blackzillians team in Florida.

Fabricio Camoes is a Brazilian fighter who made his MMA debut in 1997. He's a well traveled fighter, who has had success in many organizations - just not the UFC. In his 3 UFC fights, he's only scored 1 win, defeating Tommy Hayden in January. Camoes is a definite ground specialist thanks to his impressive Royler Gracie pedigree. If he can get this fight to the ground, he has a real shot at the upset, which would easily be the biggest win of his career.

Why should you care?

Because you want to know how this one plays out. Camoes will surely be determined in his attempts to drag the fight to the ground and lock on the sub, while Guillard will be head-hunting. That's a fun combo, and I want to see which one come out ahead.

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