When mixed martial arts fighter Melvin Guillard decided to hit the comeback trail, he let it be know that he doesn't want to fight any "chumps."

His opponent tonight, Eric Regan, goes by the nickname "Short Bus," but he says he is no chump.

And he knows it is crunch time. 

"This fight could be everything to me," said Regan, 24, who will share the main event billing with Guillard in tonight's Rage in the Cage 105: Friday Night Fights at Celebrity Theatre. "If I win this fight, I can fight anywhere in the world."

Regan moved to the Valley in 2001 and has trained at Phoenix's Martial Arts Center since 2005. After a rough start, he's hit his stride of late, winning 6 of 9 fights in Arizona in 2007.

His opponent is on the comeback trail after a difficult 2007 and has a checkered past. After losing in 27 seconds to Joe Stevenson in the main even at UFC: Ultimate Fight Night 9 on April 5, Guillard accused Stevenson of using human growth hormone. But after a urine sample, it was Guillard that was found to have cocaine in his system and was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for eight months.

Until that fight, Guillard, a New Orleans native, had been considered to be a top contender for the UFC's 155-pound title. After his return from suspension, he lost to Rich Clementi in UFC 79: Nemesis in December. The two reportedly had been involved in a backstage, outside-the-ring fracas at a Mixed Martial Arts show.

"He's always had the physical talent to be one of the best in the world," Regan said. "It's his personal life that's stopping him. Watching the tape on him he's incredible. He's super athletic, and he's large for his weight class. I'm expecting him to be aggressive and be in your face. He's going to be toting his record. I'll come in and throw down.

"You don't get many chances to fight a UFC fighter in their prime."

Source: www.azcentral.com