Introduction
UFC Fight Night 19: Diaz vs. Guillard took place on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — broadcast live on Spike TV to 2.9 million peak viewers, the highest Fight Night viewership figure to that point in the series’ history. The event served as the lead-in to the premiere of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights on Spike. Nate Diaz submitted Melvin Guillard with a guillotine choke at 2:13 of round two in one of the most dramatic submissions in Fight Night history — having been dropped by Guillard’s first punch of the fight and losing round one on all three scorecards.
The card was plagued by late withdrawals and substitutions. Six different fighters were replaced before fight night, and on the night itself, Sam Stout’s opponent Phillipe Nover suffered a seizure in the locker room and was unable to compete, leaving Stout without a fight. Carlos Condit earned his first UFC victory by split decision over Jake Ellenberger, bouncing back from his disputed debut loss to Kampmann at Fight Night 18.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2009
📍 Venue: Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
👥 Attendance: 9,490 (6,687 paid)
💰 Gate: $577,997
📺 Broadcast: Spike TV — 2.9 million peak viewers (Fight Night series record at the time)
🏆 Main Event: Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard — Lightweight
✅ Result: Diaz def. Guillard via Submission (guillotine choke) — R2, 2:13
The Build-Up
The matchup between Nate Diaz and Melvin Guillard was an instructive contrast in styles. Diaz had built his UFC reputation on forward pressure, volume striking, iron chin, and submission instincts — a grappler who could absorb damage and wait for his moment. Guillard was the explosive counter: a former TUF Season 2 contestant with devastating striking power, exceptional athleticism, and a tendency to be caught in submissions when fights went to the ground. Diaz had specifically called for a fighter who would come forward and engage; Guillard obliged.
The card itself had a chaotic build. Six fighters were replaced through injuries before fight night, producing a reshuffled card that bore little resemblance to its original announced form. On fight night itself, Phillipe Nover — who had been scheduled to face Sam Stout — suffered a seizure in the locker room and was unable to compete. Stout’s fight was cancelled, and he flew home without competing. The accumulation of withdrawals and complications made Fight Night 19 one of the more turbulent pre-fight weeks of the 2009 season.
Main Event: Diaz vs. Guillard
Guillard’s game plan worked perfectly for one round. He landed a heavy right hand with his first punch of the fight — dropping Diaz immediately. Diaz recovered and pushed through the round, but Guillard won all three judges’ scorecards for round one with powerful combinations, hip tosses, and a vicious body kick. Guillard’s power was on full display and he looked like the better fighter through fifteen minutes of the contest.
Round two was different by a single moment. Guillard took Diaz down again — this time with a hip toss — and placed his head down on the side of Diaz’s body as he stood. Diaz — jiu-jitsu brown belt, submission instincts finely tuned across years of training under Cesar Gracie — immediately locked up a guillotine choke from the bottom. Guillard’s forward pressure added to the choke’s leverage. The tap came at 2:13. The submission was awarded Submission of the Night. The comeback — from a first-round knockdown and a round lost unanimously — became one of the defining moments in Diaz’s early Fight Night legacy.
Co-Main Event: Maynard vs. Huerta
Gray Maynard defeated Roger Huerta by split decision in a lightweight co-main event that had genuine narrative weight. Huerta had been one of the UFC’s most marketable faces in 2007–2008, featured on magazine covers and widely promoted outside the sport. By late 2009 he had been on a difficult run. Maynard’s wrestling-based control game was effective across three rounds and the split decision reflected the competitiveness of the contest. The win kept Maynard’s unbeaten run intact and moved him closer to the lightweight title picture.
Full Results
Main Card (Spike TV)
Nate Diaz def. Melvin Guillard — Submission (guillotine choke) — R2, 2:13 — Lightweight (Submission of the Night)
Gray Maynard def. Roger Huerta — Split Decision — Lightweight
Carlos Condit def. Jake Ellenberger — Split Decision — Welterweight (Condit’s first UFC win)
Nate Quarry def. Tim Credeur — Unanimous Decision — Middleweight (Fight of the Night)
Brian Stann def. Steve Cantwell — Unanimous Decision — Light Heavyweight
Mike Pyle def. Chris Wilson — Submission (guillotine choke) — R3 — Welterweight
C.B. Dollaway def. Jay Silva — Unanimous Decision — Middleweight
Preliminary Card
Jeremy Stephens def. Justin Buchholz — TKO (cut) — R1 — Lightweight (Knockout of the Night)
Mike Pierce def. Brock Larson — Unanimous Decision — Welterweight
Ryan Jensen def. Steve Steinbeiss — Submission (guillotine choke) — R1 — Welterweight
Note: Sam Stout vs. Phillipe Nover was cancelled on fight night after Nover suffered a seizure in the locker room.
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: Nate Quarry vs. Tim Credeur — $30,000 each
🥇 Knockout of the Night: Jeremy Stephens — $30,000 for the R1 TKO of Buchholz
🥇 Submission of the Night: Nate Diaz — $30,000 for the guillotine of Guillard
Records & Milestones
• 2.9 million peak viewers — Fight Night series viewership record at the time of broadcast.
• Carlos Condit’s first UFC win — three months after a disputed debut loss at Fight Night 18.
• First UFC event in Oklahoma City — the Cox Convention Center hosted the UFC for the first time.
Legacy & Impact
UFC Fight Night 19 is remembered almost entirely for Nate Diaz’s guillotine finish of Guillard. The submission — secured from a disadvantaged position after being knocked down and dominated for the entirety of round one — became part of the Diaz mythology — a demonstration of his iron chin, patience under fire, and the lethal submission instincts that defined his career. The fight was also notable for the 2.9 million peak viewer figure, validating the TUF Heavyweights lead-in strategy and confirming Diaz as a mainstream-accessible headliner.
FAQ
How was Nate Diaz able to submit Guillard after being dominated in round one?
The short answer is that Guillard left his head down. When he hit a hip toss in round two and drove Diaz to the ground, he left his head exposed on the side of Diaz’s body rather than pulling away or posturing up. Diaz, a jiu-jitsu brown belt trained under Cesar Gracie and one of the most instinctive submission wrestlers in the lightweight division, locked up the guillotine immediately. The choke was tight and deep. Guillard’s own forward pressure — the aggression that had won him round one — became the mechanism of the submission. He tapped at 2:13.
What happened to Phillipe Nover on fight night?
Phillipe Nover had been scheduled to face Sam Stout. He had already replaced Kyle Bradley, who pulled out injured before the event. On fight night itself, Nover suffered a seizure in the locker room prior to his bout. He was immediately attended to by medical staff and was unable to compete. Stout was informed he would not be fighting that evening and flew home without entering the Octagon. It was an unfortunate end to a chaotic fight week for a card that had already seen six replacements.
How significant was Carlos Condit’s win over Ellenberger at this event?
It was important psychologically and practically. Condit had entered the UFC with enormous expectations and immediately lost his debut to Kampmann by a disputed split decision at Fight Night 18 in April. A second consecutive loss would have damaged his early UFC narrative significantly. The Ellenberger win by split decision at Fight Night 19 — just three months after the Kampmann loss — stabilised his UFC position and kept him in the welterweight contender picture.
Why did Fight Night 19 draw 2.9 million peak viewers?
The lead-in to The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights — TUF’s first heavyweight season, which had been heavily promoted by Spike and the UFC — drove significant audience carry-over from the Fight Night card into the TUF premiere. The TUF Heavyweights season featured Kimbo Slice as a cast member, which generated massive pre-launch publicity. Viewers who tuned in for the TUF premiere likely arrived during the Fight Night main event, inflating the peak figure. The 2.9 million peak was substantially above the average Fight Night audience of the period.
What was Brian Stann’s significance on this card?
Brian Stann was a decorated US Marine Corps veteran — a recipient of the Silver Star for combat action in Iraq in 2005. His UFC light heavyweight career carried additional meaning for the military audience the UFC was cultivating through events like Fight for the Troops. His unanimous decision win over Steve Cantwell at Fight Night 19 was part of a building campaign that would eventually see him challenge for the WEC light heavyweight title. The fight was on a card in Oklahoma City — a military-connected state — and Stann’s presence added to its significance for that audience.
How many replacements did Fight Night 19 go through before fight night?
At least six fighters were replaced before fight night: Neer-Pellegrino was moved to UFC 101; Justin Buchholz replaced Ronys Torres; Jay Silva replaced Dan Miller (who replaced Ed Herman, who had replaced James Irvin for a different bout); Jake Ellenberger replaced Chris Lytle; and Phillipe Nover replaced Kyle Bradley. On fight night, Nover himself had a seizure and could not compete, meaning the Stout fight was cancelled entirely. It was an unusually chaotic card even by Fight Night standards — a function of the large number of card-stacking fights the UFC was scheduling in the busy September 2009 window.