UFC 136 Will Be Special Homecoming For Melvin Guillard

Source: UFC

Melvin Guillard was born in New Orleans, but he lived in Houston, Texas for seven years, so Saturday night's appearance at UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III will be an emotional one for "The Young Assassin."

Guillard will meet Joe Lauzon on the pay-per-view main card, which takes place in Houston's Toyota Center.

"This is my first fight in front of my loved ones," said Guillard, in a recent interview with UFC.com. "I am going to be fighting in front of a home crowd and I haven't fought in front of a home crowd since before my Dad passed away. This fight has a lot of emotions in it, but it's good emotions. I'm excited.

"There's nothing that is standing in my way. The only thing that can beat me is me."

Guillard (29-8) has been on quite a roll since falling to Nate Diaz in 2009, winning his last five fights, including his last two by knockout. Of his 29 career wins, 19 have come via either KO or TKO.

In Lauzon, Guillard will be facing a submission master. Lauzon (20-6) has 16 career submission victories, including three straight inside the UFC. All four of Guillard's UFC defeats have come via submission.

"I think he's a tough opponent. I wouldn't have asked for a fight that was an easy fight. He's goign to be very tough," Guillard said. "But I haven't been submitted in over two years and him just coming in here and getting a submission - that ain't going to happen on my watch. I'm a way better fighter and I'm a way better person than who I was two years ago."

FightLine.com will have complete coverage of UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III, with all the latest news and up-to-the-minute results.

Dana Becker is a staff writer for FightLine.com. He can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DanaBecker.