Melvin Guillard: Coach Greg Jackson "Takes It to a Whole New Level"

With more than 30 professional fights and an overall record of 23-8-2, "The Young Assassin" Melvin Guillard considers himself 1-0 after his hard-fought, unanimous- decision victory at UFC 109 this past weekend.

Guillard went the distance in an all-out war with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu phenom and UFC newcomer Ronys Torres. The bout was Guillard's first since aligning himself with highly regarded MMA coach Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, N.M.

With just a few months' tutelage under Jackson, Guillard has improved by leaps and bounds—and it certainly showed against Torres. The Brazilian had a very difficult time controlling "The Young Assassin" on the ground—which was surprising considering that Guillard has never proven to be particularly skilled off his back.

"As far as I'm concerned, I'm a 1-0 fighter," Guillard said after the fight. "The fights before this, I relied on my talent—but now, I have a great coach and a great team."

Calling Team Jackson a great team is a huge understatement. Any fight camp consisting of high-caliber competitors such as UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, Rashad Evans, Nate Marquardt, Shane Carwin, and several other world-class fighters should be considered beyond great. "Epic" would probably be a better word to describe the camp.

Leading that team of elite warriors is Jackson, a man who is widely recognized for being the greatest coach in all of mixed martial arts. Nicknamed "Yoda," Jackson understands how to prepare an athlete physically and mentally better than most in his profession.

Just like a wise Jedi Master, Jackson realizes how crucial it is for a fighter to be mentally strong heading into battle. Most MMA coaches will put their teams through grueling conditioning drills and taxing strength programs, but they do not spend enough time training the minds of their athletes.

Jackson mixes the physical and mental game like an MMA potion—and, according to Guillard, it is speeding up his evolution as a fighter drastically.

"I think with Coach Greg, it's the way he comes off in the mental part of the game," Guillard said to MMA Junkie. "He's a sentimental-type guy. He has that approach like, 'We're going to do this. This is the game plan.' Just the way that he talks to you and the way he gives you that respect—not only as a fighter, but as a person and a man—it's phenomenal.

"I'm not taking anything from Coach Saul [Soliz]. When I was with Coach Saul in Houston, I had a good run. Training was good. I was able to keep afloat in the UFC. But Coach Jackson just takes it to a whole new level."

Even Guillard's employer, UFC President Dana White, is excited to witness Guillard's growth under Jackson. At the UFC 109 post-fight press conference, White compared Guillard's progress since he first entered the UFC as part of the cast for The Ultimate Fighter, Season Two, with where he is now.

"Melvin Guillard has always been one of those kids that isn't living up to his potential," White said. "That kid is so athletic, so explosive, great on the ground, great wrestling, great standup, has knockout power.

"[On]...The Ultimate Fighter, Season Two, his first fight was with [Josh] Burkman. They fight that fight; Burkman wins, submits him, but breaks his hand in the fight. So at that time, the way that we did the show, those guys were kicked out. They go to another house, and they could do whatever they wanted to. These guys are going out at night. [Expletive] Melvin Guillard has jewelry on and everything else and telling all the ladies he's a TV star and [expletive]."

"Melvin's been doing that stuff since Day One," White said. "If this kid would buckle down, take this thing seriously—he's an incredible athlete. So hopefully, now down there with Greg Jackson and his crew, that's the guy Melvin Guillard is going to become.

"Let me tell you, he fought a tough kid tonight. That was a war. If this other fight (Chael Sonnen vs. Nate Marquardt) wasn't that great, that could have been up for the Fight of the Night [award], too."

Time will tell if Guillard can finally crack the upper echelon of the UFC's lightweight division. But one thing is for sure: He is determined to get there, and with "Yoda" strengthening his mind and body, "The Young Assasin" might just accomplish his dream after all.

This article was originally featured on fiveknuckles.com