UFC 148: Saturday, July 7, 2012 MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada UFC Lightweight Contender Melvin Guillard (-300) Profile: After winning five in a row from 2009 to 2011, Melvin Guillard (29-10-2, 1 No-Contest) has fallen on hard times, losing via rear-naked choke to both Joe Lauzon and Jim Miller in the first half of the first round. “The Young Assassin” has every resource in the MMA world available to him for training, and aside from his questionable ground game, he has the potential to defeat almost any lightweight on any given night. UFC fans should not expect the 29-year-old MMA veteran to lose his style or swagger after those recent two losses, as he will still look to knock out anyone who stands in his way, starting with Camoes at UFC 148. UFC Lightweight Contenter Fabricio Camoes (+240) Profile: Fabricio Camoes (14-6) boasts a third-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and he has showcased those skills with seven submission wins. The 33-year-old MMA veteran has fought all over the world and is in his second stint in the UFC during a 15-year pro career. His UFC debut took place at UFC 106 in 2009 and resulted in a draw with the legendary Caol Uno, and he followed that up with a los to Kurt Pelligrino via rear-naked choke submission at UFC 111. After being cut by the UFC, Camoes made a brief run on the independent circuit, defeating former TUF 8 winner Efrain Escudero at Tachi Palace Fights before getting invited back to the UFC earlier this year, when he grabbed a rear-naked choke submission win over Tommy Hayden at UFC on FX 1. Opening UFC 148 Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made Guillard a big -300 favorite (bet $300 to win $100) while Camoes opened as a +240 underdog (bet $100 to win $240) according to the MMA odds. This fight is much bigger for Guillard, who will be looking to avoid losing three straight for the first time in his career. He was once one of the UFC’s most promising lightweights but has lost his luster with consecutive losses, as he has previous wins over Gleison Tibau and Shane Roller, who are two other favorites appearing on this UFC 148 card. Guillard needs to get his groove back, and Camoes has not fought the same level of competition while going 1-1-1 in his first three UFC fights. Camoes’ claim to fame is lasting 27 minutes in a fight with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva when he was just 18 years old in 1997 (watch Silva vs. Camoes video). Seeing Silva try to defend his title for the 10th time in the main event may motivate Camoes, but it also may serve as a reminder of the very different paths they have taken in their MMA careers.
