Dunham, Guillard Official for ‘Fight for the Troops’

Evan Dunham has what Melvin Guillard wants, and, in a matter of hours, “The Young Assassin” will have an opportunity to take his world ranking by force.

Guillard checked in at 155 pounds for his lightweight bout with the once-beaten Dunham (156) in the UFC “Fight for the Troops 2” headliner on Saturday at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. The eight other men slated for main card duty -- heavyweights Matt Mitrione (260) and Tim Hague (256.5) included -- also met their mandated weight requirements at Friday’s official weigh-in, which was closed to the public.

The resurgent Guillard, who replaced injured two-time UFC lightweight title contender Kenny Florian, will carry a three-fight winning streak into the match. The 27-year-old New Orleans native last appeared at UFC 119 in September, when he eked out a split decision against Jeremy Stephens at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Anchored at Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts in Albuquerque, N.M., Guillard owns notable victories against American Top Team’s Gleison Tibau, former World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion Gabe Ruediger and Bellator Fighting Championships veteran Waylon Lowe. In 37 professional appearances, he has never been knocked out.

Dunham finds himself on the rebound for the first time as a professional. The 29-year-old Eugene, Ore., native has not competed since he lost a controversial split decision to former lightweight champion Sean Sherk at UFC 119. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who trains out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Dunham has secured more than half (six) of his 11 career wins by submission. Victories over Pride Fighting Championships veteran Marcus Aurelio, Xtreme Couture stablemate Tyson Griffin and “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner Efrain Escudero anchor his resume.

UFC “Fight for the Troops 2” -- which also features a pivotal featherweight duel pitting Mark Hominick (144.5) against George Roop (145), a heavyweight tilt pairing Duke Roufus protégé Patrick Barry (240) with Joey Beltran (230) and a lightweight bout matching ATT’s Cole Miller (155.5) against Matt Wiman (155.5) -- will air live on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. An hour prior, the UFC will stream a pair of fights from the undercard on its official Facebook page: Cody McKenzie (155) vs. Yves Edwards (155) and DaMarques Johnson (170) vs. Michael Guymon (170.5).

UFC “Fight for the Troops 2”
Saturday, Jan. 22
Fort Hood
Killeen, Texas

Evan Dunham (156) vs. Melvin Guillard (155)
Matt Mitrione (260) vs. Tim Hague (256.5)
Mark Hominick (144.5) vs. George Roop (145)
Patrick Barry (240) vs. Joey Beltran (230)
Cole Miller (155.5) vs. Matt Wiman (155.5)
Cody McKenzie (155) vs. Yves Edwards (155)
DaMarques Johnson (170) vs. Michael Guymon (170.5)
Mike Thomas Brown (146) vs. Rani Yahya (145)
Waylon Lowe (156) vs. Willamy Freire (155)
Charlie Brenneman (171) vs. Amilcar Alves (171)
Will Campuzano (135) vs. Chris Cariaso (135)