Melvin Guillard, Yves Edwards, Cody McKenzie Win UFC Troops Bonuses

FORT HOOD, Texas – On a night the UFC set out to help raise funds for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, it also handed out its customary fight night bonuses to the top performers on Saturday's Fight for the Troops show at Fort Hood.

Yves Edwards, Cody McKenzie and Melvin Guillard took home bonus awards of $30,000 – and Edwards picked up a pair for a total of $60,000.

Edwards put a stop to McKenzie's unprecedented 10-fight streak of guillotine victories to win the Submission of the Night bonus for his rear naked choke tapout. And the lightweights also brought home the Fight of the Night award. Guillard won Knockout of the Night for his barrage of knees against Evan Dunham in the main event.

The event's first four bouts went to decisions. But the last two preliminary fights ended in submissions, and the last three fights on the main card ended with knockouts.

Guillard's win was his fourth straight. He said at the post-fight press conference he believes he should be next in line for the UFC's lightweight title – but is prepared to fight whoever and whenever the UFC asks.

Dunham was coming off a controversial split decision loss to Sean Sherk at UFC 119 in September – a loss that UFC president Dana White said he only acknowledged as a loss on paper. But with the loss to Guillard, he has two straight setbacks after being one of the most touted prospects in the 155-pound division.


Source: mmafighting.com

Edwards: Don’t Expect Another Guillotine from McKenzie

Yves Edwards is aware of Cody McKenzie’s guillotine. When the two fight Saturday at UFC “Fight for the Troops 2” Edwards plans on staying away from the submission that McKenzie has used to finish 10 straight fights. 

“A couple of those, I think guys went in there with the attitude of, ‘This guy’s not going to guillotine me no matter what he does. I don’t care.’ And then they got proved wrong,” Edwards said recently during a “Savage Dog Show” interview on the Sherdog Radio Network. “He’s got a really, really wicked guillotine. I’m sure he’s got other things in his game that are solid also, but his biggest strength is his guillotine. I’m definitely going to be aware of that and avoid that.” 

Edwards has not been impressed with McKenzie’s standup, but he’s also not putting too much stock into the footage he’s seen. He believes McKenzie has likely improved since his time on “The Ultimate Fighter 12.” 

“I just have to assume he’s gotten a whole lot better in a lot of other areas and be prepared for that,” Edwards said. “… I think his standup doesn’t look that great, but I’m sure it’s gotten better since the show. I’m sure he’s been working on that. I’m sure the rest of his ground game is pretty solid too.” 

All the more reason for Edwards to turn the fight into a striking battle. 

“Of course that’s a big part of the game plan -- keep it away from the ground, wrestle defensively and try to bang him out,” Edwards said. “But the kid has some natural things working for him. … He’s tall, he’s long. And I don’t know what he’s been doing.” 

While the 23-year-old McKenzie’s learning curve renders him something of a question mark, Edwards has focused on his own progression. He’s been in the game for more than a decade but said he is still improving. Once considered the top lightweight in the UFC, Edwards also believes he can climb the ladder again. 

“I’m going to do everything I can to do that,” he said. “The division’s a lot deeper now than it was six years ago … but I feel good. I don’t feel old by any means. I don’t feel beat-up. I feel like I’m still learning. I really feel like I’ve picked up a lot just over the past few months.” 

Against McKenzie, Edwards will be looking for his second straight win in the UFC and sixth win in seven fights. 

“Expect to see a flurry of punches, kicks and takedown defense,” he said. “Just don’t expect to see any guillotines.”


Source: sherdog.com

UFC Fight for the Troops 2: Yves Edwards Fighting for More Than Bragging Rights

The NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB all have one thing in common. Their rosters consist of world-class athletes who, at one point in their lifetimes, wanted to become part of their respective professional sports league. Some athletes are lucky enough to make the pros and spend their entire careers at that level. Other athletes aren’t so lucky. Some have a cold streak and are forced to go down to the minor leagues and hone their skills before being called back up to compete at the premier level again.

A lot of the same happens in the UFC, which is widely regarded as the major leagues of mixed martial arts. Some fighters spend their entire careers fighting in the organization, while others might fight a few here and there, having to earn some wins in an effort to get back to the bigs on an extended basis.

For UFC Fight for the Troops 2 competitor Yves Edwards, the return to the premier league is a great feeling, but it’s not all that he fights for. He trains to be a top competitor in the league, not just to compete in the top league.

“Everybody wants to be in the UFC and everybody wants to say, ‘oh, I fought in the UFC,’” Edwards told MMA Weekly Radio. “That’s not the ultimate goal. Some guys, once they get there, they really don’t even reassess. They don’t change things and say, ‘hey, I want to be a contender. I want to potentially go after that belt.’”

Being in the UFC is a great goal by any means, but getting there is just the beginning of the journey. Fighters conquer obstacles on their way to the bigs, but once they get there, they still have to fight their way up the ranks of the UFC division they fight in.

And once they begin their climb up those UFC rankings, the method of which they choose to compete is also key.

One of the issues MMA fans have voiced their opinions about lately is the lack of fighting in a fight. “Lay and pray,” as it is most commonly referred, is something that many viewers have a tough time wrapping their heads around. The lack of offense by one fighter after gaining an advantageous position seems to frustrate those paying to be entertained as spectators.

Some would call this method “smart.” Edwards believes this not to be true.

According to the 155-pound fighter, if you’re not going to fight, then you run the risk of sitting on the wrong side of a competition, soaking in the mud of defeat.

“Any time you fight not to lose, you run a big risk of not winning,” he said.

At this point in his professional career, Edwards is approaching 60 fights. Not many fighters can say they’ve fought as many times as Edwards and been successful. With a win at UFC Fight for the Troops 2, Edwards will reach the 40-win plateau. Keeping good company has helped him get to this level.

The toughness of his training partners and coaches have been all the reason he needs to train where he trains. Working with Antonio McKee in California has been a big help in Edwards’ preparation for his fight with TUF 12 alumnus Cody McKenzie.

“I always work with those guys because everyone in that gym is tough,” he said. “They keep a high pace and the conditioning there is really, really good. So that was a big part of it. They’ve got some really good guys there. Jesse Juarez helped me a lot with the jiu-jitsu game for this fight. When you fight a guy like Cody who has a specialty move, you have to adjust (for) that. You can’t totally ignore it.”

Source: mmaweekly.com