Melvin Guillard: 'I will get that belt -- That's part of my legacy to fulfill'

Props: UFC Fight Night 23: "Fight for the Troops 2" post fight press conference
Quoteworthy:

"Honestly, I feel like a should be next in line [for a title shot]. It's been a long time coming. I know there are guys like Pettis, who is a champion and they need to unify the belts. He's a great fighter, too. I'm sure he'll get the next shot at it, but it doesn't matter. Like I told Joe Silva: I don't want to sit around and wait on the belt. I want to keep fighting. That is the way I came up and that is the reason I have over 100 fights. I was 16, me and Pat [Barry], traveling and fighting. I don't like sitting out. I don't even like waiting three months to fight to be honest with you. I'd like to fight tonight and then fight again on the Vegas card [UFC 126 on Feb. 5, 2011]. Hint, hint, wink, wink. I'm going to make my run. This is my dream. I have a legacy. And at the end of the day, I have a great story to tell someday when I'm an old man. That's part of my legacy to fulfill. I will get that belt."

The self-proclaimed "Magic Man," Melvin Guillard, is on cloud nine after stopping Evan Dunham in the first round of their main event fight at UFC Fight Night 23: "Fight for the Troops 2" last night in Fort Hood, Texas. Guillard -- who is in the midst of a professional renaissance ever since joining Team Jackson -- feels as though he's ready to challenge for the 155-pound belt right now. "The Young Assassin" has won four straight, dating back to early 2010. Division standouts such as George Sotiropoulos, Jim Miller, Clay Guida and the aforementioned Anthony Pettis, however, might have a thing or two to say about his spot in the lightweight line. The good news for Guillard is that all four of them have upcoming fights, which means that it's possible that he can fight one of them before the year is out to prove that he does indeed belong at the head of the class along with division champion Frank Edgar and number one contender Gray Maynard. He'll have to wait, of course, which may or may not appeal to him based on his post-fight remarks. Nonetheless, is the legacy-building Guillard for real this time or will he once again find away to squander his talents and opportunities outside the cage? And if he really is indeed serious, does he have the all-around skills to someday wear a belt around his waist?