Though it is a relatively young sport, MMA has interesting history here in Louisiana.The pioneers of MMA in Louisiana were guys like Tim Credeur, Rich Clementi and Melvin Guillard, all of whom have fought in the UFC.
One of the first MMA shows to take place in Louisiana was a UFC event.
UFC came to New Orleans in 1999, and since then, shows like International Extreme Fight Association and Rampage in the Cage have made their course around Louisiana.
The untold story of MMA in Louisiana focuses on a rivalry between two former teammates, Clementi and Guillard.
Guillard was the next big thing in MMA, with the gifts and talents needed to be a future world champion. However, his work ethic lacked.
Clementi tried to encourage Guillard to train more in jiu-jitsu and put more effort into his training.
“A lot of that rivalry was over frustration,” Credeur said. “Rich really wanted to help Melvin and put a lot into Melvin. Melvin just didn’t put in a lot of the work. He wasn’t as serious about his work. He was into partying back then.”
Melvin had his fair share of ups and downs in MMA, once testing positive for both cocaine and steroids.
“It goes without saying that it’s embarrassing for us,” Credeur said. “As Louisiana fighters, we’re serious about what we do and there’s those of us that don’t have the talent that Melvin does and even with the talents that we do have, we would never waste them.”
This rivalry led to Guillard switching gyms, bad-mouthing Clementi on numerous occasions.
“Because of his talents and how far Rich saw he could go, it really frustrated Rich,” Credeur said. “Melvin didn’t make the sacrifices that we made. We know that if he would have, he would have been one of the greats. If he worked half as hard as we worked, he would have been a world champion.”
The two eventually met at UFC 79 and led off the PPV as the first fight, but what a lot of people don’t know is that the two met before this encounter in a K-1 eight-man tournament.
The tournament took place in New Orleans, and both fighters met in the finals. Needless to say, the atmosphere was electric.
“Rich and Melvin met in the finals, and the crowd was going nuts,” Credeur said. “Rich knocked Melvin out with a flying knee in the first round, and it was incredible. After that, the rivalry got really bad because Melvin had been humiliated in his hometown.”
At UFC 79, the two met for the first time in an MMA bout. As Guillard entered the ring he flipped Clementi off with his middle finger before the two started engaging.
Clementi won the fight with a rear-naked choke in the first round.
The two still had words with each other after their fight.
Clementi is now fighting in Bellator Fighting Championship, and Guillard is still in the UFC.
Guillard has won six of his last seven fights in the UFC with his last victory coming over Jeremy Stephens at UFC 119.
Guillard has switched to Greg Jacksons’ Camp and has been on a tear ever since.
“He’s turning it around,” Credeur said. “He’s in a good camp, and he’s doing his best to live up to his potential.”
Clementi and Guillard’s rivalry has certainly cooled down, but it brought great entertainment to a lot of people for many years.
With MMA only getting more and more popular, I expect many more great stories about MMA in Louisiana in the future.
