Per Beard’s resignation, he will be no longer affiliated with the company as a full-time employee but will retain an ownership stake in the company.

The announcement comes on the heels of reports this week that Kim Couture, wife of UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture, had been awarded a temporary restraining order against Beard. Soon after, published reports revealed Beard’s protracted criminal past that included convictions for forgery, illegal telemarketing, federal mail and wire fraud, and driving while under the influence.

Today’s release from Affliction, Inc. also revealed that Beard will be seeking treatment for anger management and alcohol abuse and included excerpts of a public apology from Beard in regards to his actions towards the Coutures.

“I would like to apologize for my comments that may have offended Kim and Randy Couture and Mr. Spira (Kim Couture’s attorney),” Beard’s apology reads. “I had a long-standing relationship with the Coutures and I was deeply and emotionally hurt by some of their recent business decisions. I have only the best of intentions for the success of the Affliction and Xtreme Couture clothing brands and understand that there are personal issues I must address.”

There had been speculation in the past 24 hours that Donald Trump, a reported general partner of Affliction Entertainment – the company’s mixed martial arts promotional company – would have to resign in light of the revelation of Beard’s extensive criminal history. According to New Jersey state gaming laws, it is illegal for anyone in possession of a gaming license to consort with known criminals. Today’s release indirectly attempts to address that conflict.

“The Board of directors of Affliction Inc. also wanted to clarify that Affliction Entertainment Group LLC. (the promotion company) is not controlled by Affliction Inc.,” the release concluded. “Mr. Beard to its knowledge, is nether an officer, director, or a shareholder of Affliction Entertainment Group LLC. as stated in several periodicals.”

Guillard does not want to waste much time getting back in the cage.

I want to fight again in September,” said Guillard, “You can look forward to me staying focused and on top of my game.”

September is already a loaded month for the UFC with UFC 88 and a UFC Fight Night. Without already being scheduled on one of the cards, I’m not sure Guillard will get his wish. However, Guillard has a substantial amount of talent, and if he is able to learn from the loss to Clementi, he has a chance to become a contender at 155.

And of course, Guillard still wants one specific fight.

There will be a rematch with Rich Clementi someday.”

From UFC.com:

“My last two fights had affected me badly,” said Guillard. “My dad had just died, so my mind wasn’t really into fighting and my heart wasn’t there but I want it to be there. Now I’m back and I’m ready.”

“The loss I got from him (Clementi) I can’t base that and say that Rich is a better fighter than me because technically we got in a street fight and technically I beat the s**t out of him. But now I’m over that, I’m more mature now, I don’t care. I just want to get better and get my rematch inside the ring and I’m going to leave it like that.”

“I just want to be a legend in the sport, I want to be a champion, and I want to be a hall of famer,” he said. “It ain’t about the money to me anymore. Fighting to live, fighting to survive, it ain’t about that anymore. Now it’s about just having fun, and right now I just need to get back to having fun and winning fights.”

Now I don’t want to nitpick but the whole article sounds like the leftovers from the article put up before UFC 79. It all basically reads the same stuff about how Guillard had turned the corner, the leaf and the magical life pancake but in the end he was still the same fighter in the cage and ended the whole saga by calling Clementi a “mat rat” in a post fight interview.

But like all Guillard fights it will be interesting to see if he will actually be able to capitalize on the undisputed potential he possesses.

Read more Melvin Guillard content on FiveOuncesOfPain.com.

What? Dating back to his Baltimore Sun interview….

I’m going to take a few fights outside the UFC to get back some of my wins. Hopefully, it’s not any all-around chumps.

So one fight against a .500 opponent on a small show and you bring him back? What was the purpose of even letting him leave to begin with? This is one of the most classless guys in the sport that refuses to admit his loss to Clementi and even said he’d be “willing to do it in the backyard.”

Or how about during his old UFC Fight Club chat:

o4sheez says: do you wear your chastity belt before big fights?

MelvinGuillard says: do you wear yours when I come over to your house? Is this a hot chick? If not your gay

How immature is this guy? What punishment was this exactly? He was suspended several months for testing positive for cocaine last year. I won’t argue he has a name and entertainment value but if you wish to have him in the long run don’t you need to send a message?

Is he still out there stalking Rich Clementi hoping for a street fight in New Orleans just as OJ is stalking the “real killer” on a golf course somewhere? What kind of message does this send? If the UFC is looking for the betterment of Guillard and his future in the organization they should send a message here. Guillard is not emotionally mature enough to be coming back any time soon. I’m not saying it’s their responsibility to coddle him but this can only get worse. He called his cocaine suspension, “bad luck.” No, walking under a ladder is bad luck. Doing cocaine when you get tested for it is “bad judgment.”

Look at Chris Henry or Pacman Jones in the NFL, these guys don’t learn lessons until they need to do so. Let him fight in “Xtreme International Cage Fighting World Championship Combat Punishment Ironman League 326″ until that lesson is slapped upon his face.

Rage In The Cage 105: Friday Night Fights was headed up by the always volatile Melvin Guillardwho was staying true to the promise he made in recent interviews of fighting at a higher weight (170 lbs.) in an effort to avoid jeopardising his place in the UFC. “The Young Assassin” was victorious over his opponent, Eric Regan via unanimous decision.

Guillard was coming off, to put it bluntly, a terrible 2007 in which he accused Joe Stevenson of taking HGH before having to retract the statement after he admitted he had no proof. He was then choked out in 27 seconds by the TUF 2 winner and tested positive to cocaine after the fight. He served an 8 month suspension before making his comeback fight against heated rival, Rich Clementi. In a spiteful affair, Clementi once again exposed Guillard’s weak submission defense when he scored a rear naked choke victory at 4.40 of the first round.

Guillard had this to say post-fight: (from Sherdog.com)

“Eric is tough,” Guillard said. “A lot of guys out here wouldn’t take this fight. I caught him with some good stand-up strikes; he just wouldn’t go down. He has a hard chin.”

“The UFC is still my home,” he continued. “I’m grateful they are letting me participate in outside shows. In my last two fights I got caught thinking too much.”

* * *

AFL: Erupption featured a number of recognisable fighters such as TUF veterans, Rory Singer and Dan Christison, as well as UFC lightweights, Junior Assuncao and Diego Saraiva.

Dan “The Sandman” Christison kicked off proceedings for the UFC veterans as he scored a 2nd round TKO victory over his opponent, John LeBlanc. Singer however was not able to continue the trend as he succumbed to a painful kneebar submission to Chilo Gonzalez.

Junior Assuncao, who was coming off of a submission loss to Nate Diaz scored himself a 3rd round submission victory via guillotine choke over Steve Sharp. In the night’s main event, Diego Saraiva made light work of Joe Ammerman as he scored a rear-naked choke victory early in the first round to capture the AFL lightweight championship.

Also on the card was featherweight stand out, Rafael Assuncao who obtained a quick first round submission victory (arm bar) over opponent, Aaron Williams.

Get more MMA news and Opinion on FiveOuncesOfPain.com.

Melvinism #1: Rich Clementi is somehow a coward for exposing Melvin’s weakness.

“Of course, everybody saw that he was the victorious one [at UFC 79] but he sits up there and says, “I’ll stand toe-to-toe with Melvin,” but everybody with their own eyes saw he wasn’t ready to stand up with me. He knew my weakness was my submission game as far as fighting him because he’s a seasoned jiu-jitsu guy — I’ll give him that. As far as me putting my hands on him, I got my respect out of him. So, I’m not even tripping, you know?”

Oh, Melvin. When will you learn? This is MMA. Not boxing. Grab that gi, son.

Melvinism #2: Rich Clementi didn’t win the fight.

“He really didn’t. He didn’t take my heart. I took his heart before he got in the ring. He was scared to fight me before he got in the ring.”

Sure, Melvin. Are we really supposed to believe this garbage? You took his heart? Yeah, it really showed inside the cage. You got punked and you’re salty about it, Melvin. Time to move on.

Melvinism #3: Melvin is working working strictly his jiu jitsu.

“I’m working nothing but my jiu-jitsu. … I got all the good guys around me … so I’m just working the weaknesses in my game. I’m going to give myself six months to a year before my jiu-jitsu is 100 percent.”

I’ll believe it when I see it. And who are “all the good guys.” That tells me nothing. Some schmuck like me could say I’m training with “all the good guys,” but it means nothing.

Melvinism #4: Don’t ever put your nuts on the back of Melvin’s head. That’s just not cool.

“No, I can never understand that and nobody is ever going to make me understand that. He disrespected me after the fight. He put his nuts on the back of my head. When I catch him, I’m going to kick him in his [expletive deleted] nuts.”

I think I have to agree with Melvin, here. Putting your nuts on another man’s head is sort of weird.

Melvinism #5: Melvin’s taking some time off from the UFC.

“I’m going to take a few fights outside the UFC to get back some of my wins. Hopefully, it’s not any all-around chumps. I’m not going to take any fights at 155 [pounds] outside the UFC. I want to fight at 170 [pounds] — a weight class above mine outside the UFC. I’m probably scheduled to fight again in the UFC late March, early April if they bless me with that.

Other than that, I’ll take a lot of side hustles, make some money this year. Being suspended for eight months really hurt my pocket. You can put in the article [that] anybody [who] wants to donate to the Melvin Negro Fund, they can donate to that too because right now my pockets [are] hurting. Being suspended for eight months … I almost had to go work a regular job to survive. I don’t want to have that feeling again.”

Thank God. Melvin needs to get his head on straight before the UFC thinks about bringing him back again. All that natural ability and no focus whatsoever has Guillard falling from grace at an astronomical level. As for the level of competition he’ll be facing in the smaller shows? He better hope he’s fighting all around chumps. He needs to boost his confidence before he thinks about taking on anyone remotely serious.

As for the Melvin Negro Fund? No thanks, dude. So sorry that you might have had to go work a “regular job” like the rest of us poor fools.

Melvinism #6: Melvin backs up his trash talk and has never had his ass beat.

“Yeah, I like to talk [expletive deleted] but I also back it up. I haven’t gotten my ass beat. I haven’t been in a fight yet where somebody has outclassed me or just beat me down. Every fight I’ve been in, the ones I’ve lost have been from submission or a close judges’ decision.”

Guillard still doesn’t realize that he’s fighting in the sport of mixed martial arts and not boxing. Even though he says he’s never been outclassed or gotten his ass beat, that’s exactly what Clementi did to him. This is mixed martial arts, Melvin. Clementi choked you in the cage and he’ll choke you out in the street also.

Melvinism #7: Melvin wants to fight Roger Huerta.

“Well, I wanted to fight Roger Huerta, but they said he’s on vacation right now. So, that fight’s up in the air.”

HAHA! That’s a joke, right? Guillard would need at least four victories in a row over mid to top level competition to even get put in the same locker room as Roger Huerta. Quit, daydreaming, Melvin.

Melvinism #8: If Melvin can’t fight Heurta, he’s praying for strikers.

“Whoever they give me the next fight, I’m hoping and praying it’s a striker … hopefully fight a couple of strikers. Give the crowd what they came to see me do best. The people come to see me stand up and trade punches ‘til I knock someone out. When I’m fighting and struggling to get guys off my back, to try to keep me off the ground, it takes away from what I’m really good at — for the fans.”

“For the fans.” Don’t kid yourself, Melvin. I hope they throw three jiu jitsu guys in a row at you so you finally learn your damn lesson.

The interview is filled with Melvinisms, so I highly suggest clicking here to read the entire thing.