Greg Jackson ‘Happy’ Guillard is Comfortable with New Camp

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When Melvin Guillard became of a member of Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts prior to facing Ronys Torres at UFC 109, his career took off. Now, the UFC lightweight standout is hoping that another change in scenery will have a similar effect.

Guillard, who faces Jim Miller in the UFC on FX main event in Nashville, Tenn., this Friday, split from the renowned Albuquerque, N.M, gym and trained exclusively at Imperial Athletics in Boca Raton, Fla., for his most recent fight camp.

“It’s nothing to hide. Technically, I’m permanently with the ‘Blackzilians’ now,” Guillard said in a recent interview on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Rewind” program. “I still feel I’m a part of Jackson’s; those guys are family to me. A lot of those guys mean a lot to me, even the coaches, and I hope that’s a door that I can one day go back through. If those guys need me, I’ll be here for those guys.”

The move initially came as a surprise to Jackson, who says he didn’t meet with Guillard before the decision was made.

“I heard about it the same way everybody else did, that he just kind of said it on the Internet,” the trainer told Sherdog.com on Monday. “That’s fine. We’re just happy he found a place that fits him well. Our team isn’t for everybody, and we’re happy that he found a place that he feels comfortable and fits in.”

Guillard won his first five fights under Jackson, beating Torres, Waylon Lowe, Jeremy Stephens, Evan Dunham and Shane Roller to insert himself into the UFC’s lightweight title discussion. Prior to facing Joe Lauzon at UFC 136, Guillard split time between Imperial Athletics and Jackson’s MMA for his training. After suffering a first-round loss to Lauzon, “The Young Assassin” decided to relocate to Florida on a full-time basis.

Notable members of the team at Imperial Athletics include former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans, Anthony Johnson, Strikeforce lightweight Gesias Cavalcante and onetime Sengoku titleholder Jorge Santiago, among others. Guillard also said he has been working extensively with former Bellator 155-pound king Eddie Alvarez.

“My training camps are a lot tougher, the practices are more structured,” Guillard said. “I have personal jiu-jitsu trainers that my agent brought in to work with me around the clock. My agent also brings in wrestlers, strikers -- so it’s not just guys on the team, but they actually bring in guys of different calibers, world champions.

“If I had to compare the two [gyms], at Jackson’s, I was in the room with champions, guys like Jon Jones, but I needed that extra push,” he explained. “A lot of other guys were getting attention that I needed, but I wasn’t getting it. I’m not gonna compare which one is better than the other. Both gyms are great gyms. It’s just a decision I had to make on my own.”

Should Guillard choose to return to New Mexico sometime in the future, the door to the dojo will be open to him.

“Yeah of course,” Jackson said. “We just want him to be happy and have the best career he can have. If that means he needs to be there, then that’s what that means. We don’t hold any grudges.”