Bellator MMA officials have officially announced the signing of former UFC fan-favorite Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard to a multi-year, multi-fight contract.

At only 32 years of age, Guillard (32-14-2) has amassed 50 professional bouts in a career that dates back to 2002. With 21 victories coming by KO, Guillard has generated a large fan base with his exciting fighting style.

“We are excited to have Melvin coming onboard,” stated Bellator President Scott Coker in a press release. “With competitors the likes of Lightweight Champion Will Brooks, Michael Chandler, Marcin Held, Derek Anderson, Saad Awad, Dave Jansen and Patricky Pitbull on the roster already, the matchup possibilities for an exciting fighter like him are endless.”

During his 22-fight stint with THE UFC, Guillard broke MMA icon BJ Penn’s record for most KO’s in the lightweight division with eight, an accolade which he still holds to this day. Also during this time he earned victories over notable names that include Marcus Davis, Dennis Siver, Gleison Tibau, Evan Dunham, and Jeremy Stephens.

However in recent months, Guillard has drawn the ire of MMA fans as he came in overweight in both of his appearances under the World Series of Fighting banner, including coming in 4 pounds over for his title fight against Justin Gaethje. His time with WSOF would come to an end after failing to produce his medicals ahead his scheduled WSOF 20 bout agaisnt Ozzy Dugulubgov. As a result, WSOF pulled him from the event before cutting ties with the AKA product all together.

A debut date and opponent will be announced for Guillard in the near future.

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José began his career as a mixed martial arts journalist while still enrolled at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University. Since graduating in May 2013, he has attended dozens of high profile UFC fight cards as a credentialed member of the media, providing live cage side coverage through his articles and videos. His work has appeared on UFC.com, ArizonaSports.com and AZCentral. He is also currently one of the main contributors on Power MMA Show at Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, one of the first all MMA radio shows on a major radio station.