Although few have discounted the potential of lightning-fast Melvin Guillard, most viewed the “TUF” alumnus as a stepping stone for Evan Dunham to rebound from his controversial decision loss to Sean Sherk.
That assessment could not have been more incorrect, with Guillard absolutely dominating Dunham en route to a first round stoppage at Fight for the Troops 2.
Guillard’s speed, from the onset of the fight, appeared to overwhelm the touted Dunham, who simply had no answer for the faster competitor. Save for a desperation takedown attempt that produced minimal control on the ground, Dunham had nothing to send back at Guillard, and a victory for the “Ultimate Fighter 2” competitor appeared a near certainty.
Sure enough, Guillard put Dunham away with a striking combination midway through the opening round. Though one of Guillard’s knees appeared to be illegal, coming after Dunham had already been grounded, the decision was far from worthy of debate; Guillard was overwhelming his opponent, and the stoppage was coming no matter what.
Elsewhere on the card, Matt Mitrione continued to improve with a truly dominant victory over Tim Hague. The “TUF 10” contestant has phenomenal, “down home” charisma, and his ongoing talent development will make him a mainstay with UFC’s audience.
In the featherweight division, Mark Hominick looked tremendous, doing what so many prospective title challengers fail to do in their contendership bouts. Hominick simply destroyed George Roop with strikes, building momentum to a title bout with UFC Featherweight king Jose Aldo.
Full results follow:
Chris Cariaso b. Will Campuzano via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Charlie Brenneman b. Amilcar Alves via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Waylon Lowe b. Willamy Freire via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Rani Yahya b. Mike Brown via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
DaMarques Johnson b. Mike Guymon via verbal submission (body triangle) at 3:22 of Round One
Yves Edwards b. Cody McKenzie via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:33 of Round Two
Matt Wiman b. Cole Miller via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Pat Barry b. Joey Beltran via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Mark Hominick b. George Roop via TKO (strikes) at 1:58 of Round One
Matt Mitrione b. Tim Hague via TKO (punches) at 2:59 of Round One
Melvin Guillard b. Evan Dunham via TKO (strikes) at 2:58 of Round One