UFC Fight for the Troops 2: Melvin Guillard wins by 1st-rd TKO, asks for shot at title

Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

Everything seems to be falling into place for Melvin Guillard.  An injury replacement for two-time lightweight title contender Kenny Florian, Guillard upset the world-ranked Evan Dunham in the UFC “Fight for the Troops 2” headliner on Saturday at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.

Check the other results after the jump…

The Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts representative wiped out Dunham with punches and knees 2:58 into Round 1, as he extended his winning streak to four fights and announced himself as a contender at 155 pounds.

“I want my title shot,” said Guillard, who improved to 9-4 inside the Octagon. “I’m the dark horse in this game at 155 pounds. No disrespect to anybody in my weight class, but I am the best 155-pound fighter in the UFC.”

Guillard set the tone at the start with his blinding hand speed, as he lit up his foe with a straight right hand. Dunham secured a takedown a little more than 30 seconds into the bout but could not corral Guillard on the mat, and his failure to keep him there cost him dearly. Once the two lightweights returned to their feet, the odds shifted dramatically in Guillard’s favor.

A two-punch combination, punctuated by another blistering right, dropped Dunham where he stood. He never recovered. Diving for an attempted single-leg takedown, Dunham was blitzed with an uppercut and pair of knees that resulted in a violent and decisive conclusion to the brief encounter.

“You keep lining them up, and I’ll keep knocking them down,” said Guillard, who was originally scheduled to meet Yves Edwards on the undercard. “I will go undefeated in 2011, and I will get a title shot no later than 2012.”

Mitrione stops Hague, stays unbeaten

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 alum Matt Mitrione smashed through Tim Hague in a heavyweight showcase, as he blew away the former King of the Cage Canada champion with punches 2 minutes, 59 seconds into the first round.

Mitrione, a former NFL lineman, dropped Hague twice with straight left hands. The second did serious damage and led to the finish, as Mitrione swarmed with a series of unanswered blows and left the referee no choice but to intervene on Hague’s behalf. The knockout came with a price for Mitrione, who believes he injured himself the first time he floored the Canadian.

“I think I broke my left hand,” said Mitrione, who trains under former world kickboxing champion Duke Roufus. “There was a time when I punched him and he fell down the first time. As soon as I did it, [I thought it was broken].”

Undefeated in four professional appearances, the vastly improved Mitrione called for stiffer competition in the future. At 32, he has emerged as one of the UFC’s more intriguing heavyweight prospects.

“I think Tim is a good fighter, but I want to get tested,” Mitrione said. “I’m not going to try to bite off more than I can chew, but I want to fight. I’m here to get a piece of gold.”

Hominick steamrolls Roop, clinches shot at Aldo

Mark Hominick was in top form, as he stopped longtime training partner George Roop on first-round strikes and secured his shot at UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo. Roop met his demise 88 seconds into Round 1.

“I’m thrilled,” Hominick said. “If you’re next in line for a title shot, you’ve got to go out there and prove it. I believe I did that with my fists tonight. I believe my stand-up is far superior to everybody’s. You just have to go out and show it in the cage.”

Roop tried to keep Hominick at bay with a sizable reach advantage, but the seasoned Canadian proved relentless in his pursuit of victory. Hominick dropped his opponent with a straight right hand less than a minute into their encounter, softened him with subsequent blows and closed for the finish. A left hook from “The Machine” had a dazed Roop in a seated position at the base of the cage, and another clean left hook brought about referee Don Turnage’s intervention. Roop, who had never before been knocked out, briefly protested the stoppage.

Hominick has rattled off five consecutive victories and remains unbeaten in three career appearances in the UFC. He expects to face Aldo at UFC 129 on April 30 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, roughly 90 miles from his hometown.

“Jose is next,” Hominick said. “I believe he’s the best pound-for-pound [fighter], but he’s never faced anyone like me, and I’m going to go out there and prove it.”

Barry leg kicks carry decision

Patrick Barry put on a leg kick exhibition at the expense of Joey Beltran.

Barry slammed more than 20 kicks into Beltran’s lead leg — 18 of them over the final two rounds — and took a hard-earned unanimous decision in a featured heavyweight bout. All three of the cage-side judges sided with Barry, rendering scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.

Only Beltran’s fortitude kept him upright for three rounds. He sucked Barry into the clinch and dirty boxed when the opportunity presented itself, bloodying his lip with punches in close quarters. However, when Barry had breathing room, the Roufusport representative attacked the leg with savage power and precision. Later, he supplemented those kicks with others to the body and head.

Barry, a 31-year-old New Orleans native, closed the bout with three thunderous kicks to Beltran’s left thigh, his foe collapsing immediately after the final horn.

“That guy is a zombie,” Barry said. “I kicked him in his face 300 times. I think I beat his leg to death, and he was going to keep coming no matter what. If we had two more rounds, he’d be hopping around on one leg. That dude is a monster.”

Wiman dominates Miller

In a featured lightweight bout, Matt Wiman neutralized Cole Miller’s considerable grappling skills, kept the American Top Team representative on his back and swarmed him with heavy ground-and-pound en route to a surprisingly one-sided unanimous decision. All three judges scored it for Wiman: 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27.

Outside of a few knees to the body from the clinch and the occasional submission attempt off his back, Miller was never in the fight. Wiman grounded the Augusta, Ga., native in all three rounds and battered him with punches, elbows, standing-to-ground strikes and double hammerfists. The gap between the two grew wider as the match deepened, with Wiman smashing away at his foe with relentless aggression.

A quarterfinalist on Season 5 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, the 27-year-old Wiman has rattled off three consecutive victories.

“I was going through lot of nerves before this fight, like [when I fought Thiago] Tavares [at UFC 85],” said Wiman, who improved to 7-3 inside the Octagon. “I was the most nervous [I’ve ever been] besides that night. That process of growing and getting there mentally and physically is crazy difficult.”

Brian Knapp is a contributor to Sherdog.com.