This was not the first impression Melvin Guillard envisioned when he signed with Bellator MMA.
Repeated takedowns, a stifling top game and steady ground-and-pound spurred Brandon Girtz to an upset win over the Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran, as he left the Bellator 141 headliner with a split decision on Friday at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif. Scores were 29-27 and 29-27 for Girtz, 29-28 for Guillard.
The underdog set the tone in the opening seconds. He followed a crackling two-punch combination with a pair of slam takedowns on the unsuspecting and dazed Guillard (32-15-2, 0-1 Bellator), all inside the first 50 seconds.