The UFC is set to debut on another television station in early 2012, as FX will become the next station to host the flagship promotion in the sport of mixed martial arts. This past week, the main event for that debut event was announced, in a fight that will place two important lightweights against one another in a matchup that they both must win.
Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller are two individuals who were surging towards the top of the 155-pound weight class before they came crashing violently down. Both fighters suffered one-sided losses within a few months of each other, and now each finds himself in need of a big win before he gets lost in the shark tank that is the lightweight division.
Back on August 14th, Miller was the first of the two to taste defeat, when he was ravaged by current number one contender Benson Henderson during their bout at UFC Live on Versus 5. Going into the bout Miller was riding a seven-fight win streak, and was one win away from a potential title shot. Henderson used his wrestling and dominating power to control the positioning in the fight, and hammer his way to a decision victory. This was only the third loss in Miller’s six-year fighting career, and the only other two men to defeat him are Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard; both are top names within the division.
It’s impressive that Guillard is a nine-year veteran of the sport at only 28 years old. With a record of 29-9-2, Guillard has suffered quite a few other setbacks in his career. However, none may have been as important as his recent defeat at the hands of Joe Lauzon. Lauzon caught the pressing Guillard with a punch, and quickly submitted him with a rear naked choke, a defeat that quickly sapped the air from Guillard’s sails and pushed him back out of the 155 contenders picture.
Matching these two individuals against each other presents a stark contrast in styles. Miller is a known grappler whose Brazilian Jiu Jitsu abilities can quickly place an opponent in a dangerous situation. Grappling has always been Guillard’s weakness, as eight of his nine defeats have come by tap out. Miller, on the other hand, has struggled when facing technical strikers. Guillard has some of the most explosive and powerful shots in the weight class, along with the wrestling to be able to keep the fight on the feet when needed. It will be interesting to see to what lengths Guillard will have to go to keep this fight on the feet and avoid Miller’s dangerous submission attacks.
UFC on FX 1 is set to go down on January 20, from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
