Former UFC fighter Melvin Guillard has been refused a licence for his latest bare-knuckle fight after winning one of his previous 13 bouts.
Gillard previously competed in the UFC across a career that spanned from 2005 to 2014 before retiring after suffering his final loss with the promotion against Michael Johnson at a UFC London event eight years ago. Since that day, Guillard has competed with a number of different promotions including Bellator, Rizin and most recently in bare-knuckle fighting where he holds a record of 0-4.
Bare-Knuckle Fighting Championship announced his return to action in the squared circle next weekend where he was due to take on debutant Evgeny Kurdanov in Colorado, but in a statement made by the Colorado Combative Sports Commission, it has been revealed that the fight will no longer take place.
The statement read: “Mr. Guillard is not currently licensed in Colorado and the Oct. 15 bout will not take place as scheduled. We value the safety of all athletes in Colorado and after further research have decided to disallow this fight."
Several former UFC stars regularly compete in the promotion including Mike Perry who is having huge success in the bare-knuckle ranks despite his form declining in the UFC. However Gilliard has shown a fast deteriorating of form and he is now aged 39 and is in the twilight years of his career.
The news that he will not allowed to compete comes in a fresh blow after being prevented from competing in BKFC's Knucklemania 2 event in February following a ruling from the Florida Athletic State Commission who held "serious concern" over his health. The previous statement read: “After doing due diligence, the Executive Director Patrick Cunningham found a serious concern with the health of Melvin Guillard.
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"In checking the certified ABC record sources, BoxRec and the MMA Database, it was determined Guillard is suspended and requires a Neurological Exam, but even if he cleared that Guillard had lost the past four BKB bouts and had lost nine mixed martial art [fights] in a row. His last fight was at an unsanctioned event in the State of Montana which does not have an operating Commission.”
The Asssociation of Boxing Comissions agreed with the action in preventing him from competing, with their public backing reading: “Many of these [ageing] competitors have been affiliated with other MMA organisations and have been subsequently released by these promotional companies due to many factors including (but not limited to) loss of skills, consecutive losses, or injuries.
"Lastly, many of these fighters have not fought for extended periods of time. Therefore, the Association of Boxing Commission’s Medical Committee is especially concerned that athletes competing ’recycling’ may be at higher risks for acute and chronic injuries.”
