http://tinyurl.com/269mw9kMelvin Guillard wanted it, and he got it.
The UFC lightweight will tangle with Jeremy Stephens on UFC 119's main card, according to sources close to the event who told MMAjunkie that the fighters are expected to sign bout agreements shortly.
Guillard (24-8 MMA, 7-4 UFC) perked up ears when he called out Stephens (17-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) following his first-round TKO of Waylon Lowe – his second UFC win earned with a body-shot – at UFC 114.
As MMAjunkie.com first reported, UFC 119 is expected to take place Sept. 25 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, though the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
You could say the two hard-slugging lightweights have been on a collision course.
Guillard, 27, has regained career momentum after taking residence with famed trainer Greg Jackson. Once a fighter with exceptional stand-up skills and a questionable ground game, "The Young Assassin" has rounded out his game with diligent work on his takedown defense and grappling skills.
A veteran of "The Ultimate Fighter 2," Guillard's notable octagon blemishes come from submission-saavy fighters such as Joe Stevenson, Rich Clementi and Nate Diaz.
The victory over Lowe, a wrestler by trade, was Guillard's second consecutive victory after he bested jiu-jitsu proponent Ronys Torres in February at UFC 109.
Stephens, meanwhile, shrugged off a two-fight slide to expert grapplers Joe Lauzon and Gleison Tibau with recent back-to-back wins over Justin Buchholz and Sam Stout. Both victories earned the 24-year-old performance bonuses: a "Knockout of the Night" check in the win over Buchholz and a "Fight of the Night"bonus for the victory over Stout in his most recent appearance at UFC 113.
Stephens retooled his training with a more permanent move to San Diego, where he works with the Throwdown Elite Training Center. A Des Moines, Iowa native, Stephens scored a homerun-punch knockout of Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 91 in November 2008 to add to his growing highlight reel.
