Former UFC fighter Melvin Guillard has his next bareknuckle boxing match on the books.
At BKFC 31 on Oct. 15, Guillard (2-6) will return against promotional newcomer Evgeny Kurdanov (4-0), the promotion recently announced. The event takes place at 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colo., and streams on Bare Knuckle TV.
Guillard, 39, looks to snap a seven-fight losing skid across multiple combat sports in hopes of picking up his first BKFC victory. He most recently competed at BKFC Fight Night: Montana in October 2021.
Shortly thereafter, Guillard was booked to compete Feb. 19 vs. Ulysses Diaz. However, the Florida Athletic Commission, in conjunction with the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC), intervened to disallow Guillard from competing.
“After doing due diligence, the executive director Patrick Cunningham found a serious concern with the health of Melvin Guillard,” a statement issued by the ABC read. The association also placed Guillard on suspension pending a neurological exam.
"The Sailor" Evgeny @kurdanov will make his BKFC debut against Melvin Guillard at BKFC 31! https://t.co/HLL6nJaKgl pic.twitter.com/dIE9zr3BgZ
— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) October 6, 2022
According to MixedMartialArts.com, the official ABC database, Guillard no longer is under suspension. An ABC official didn’t immediately clarify why Guillard’s status was changed when reached by MMA Junkie.
Guillard enters his first combat sports competition in a year against Kurdanov, a 1-1 MMA pro who lists a 4-0 bareknuckle record on his social media pages, including an Instagram account with 170,000 followers.
With the addition, the full BKFC 31 lineup includes:
- Mike Richman vs. Isaac Doolittle
- Brandon Girtz vs. Jake Lindsey
- Josh Copeland vs. Levi Costa
- Chris Camozzi vs. Bubba McDaniel
- Melvin Guillard vs. Evgeny Kurdanov
- Cory Madden vs. Christian Torres
- Nolan McGlaughlin vs. Andrew Yates
- Danny O’Connor vs. Van Vo
- Gabriel Mota vs. Josh Todd
- Khortini Kamyron vs. Crystal Pittman
- Keegan Vandermeer vs. Jeb Vincent
