Author: By E. Spencer Kyte

There is something magnetic about the heavyweight division.

No matter how much talent resides in the lighter weight classes or how frequently the mighty mites of the sport put on incredible displays of technique and conditioning bouncing around the cage and punching each other in the face non-stop for 15 minutes, there is still something uniquely enticing about seeing a pair of heavyweights staring each other down across the cage.

While the various other divisions within the UFC have consistently boasted deep, talented ranks, the heavyweight division has experienced good times and bad. Even now, with the division deeper than perhaps it’s ever been, the need for identifying prospects and putting them through the paces to see if they have what it takes to contend with the best heavyweights in the business is both daunting, and crucial.

Finding solid additions to the roster is challenging enough, yet alone coming across a six-foot-four-inch, 240-pound collegiate wrestler with Golden Gloves credentials who is athletic enough that he got a look from Major League Baseball once upon a time. That’s why people have been paying close attention to Stipe Miocic’s arrival and advancement in the UFC heavyweight division.

The 29-year-old Strong Style Fight Team member entered the UFC having generated a great deal of buzz in earning six consecutive stoppage victories on the regional circuit. None of his foes lasted to the third round; three didn’t make it out of the first.

His potential was put to the test in his opening appearance in the Octagon in a matchup against durable veteran Joey Beltran at UFC 136 in Houston, Texas. He went to the cards for the first time in his career, but as he had in his previous six bouts, Miocic came away with the victory.

Four months later, the Croatian-born Cleveland native showed the power that made him such an intriguing prospect on the regional circuit when he needed just 43 seconds to dispatch fellow unbeaten up-and-comer Phil De Fries in a Knockout of the Night-winning performance in February.

“It’s awesome. I really can’t say much,” Miocic offers, truly at a loss for words when asked to explain how his two-fight tenure in the UFC has been. A staccato burst of expression is all he can muster. “It’s fantastic. I’m excited. It’s been great, and keeps getting better. Keep winning, that’s the name of the game.”

The chain reaction of changes to the UFC 146 fight card resulted in Miocic being presented with a third opportunity to step into the Octagon by filling the opening opponent slot opposite fellow undefeated prospect Shane del Rosario in the former Strikeforce standout’s UFC debut.

Getting the call on short notice doesn’t give Miocic any reason for concern, and he’s well aware that del Rosario is going to be looking to make a strong first impression when they collide Saturday night in Las Vegas.

“I’ve been training, so I’m in shape. He’s a gamer; he’s a tough dude, and I’m sure he’s going to come to fight. My coaches have been breaking videos down, but it’s hard to say (what’s going to happen) because he’s been out of the cage for a year-and-a-half after a terrible accident.”

After pushing his record to a perfect 12-0 with a first-round submission win over Lavar Johnson in February 2011, del Rosario’s car was struck by a drunk driver, forcing him to withdraw from a scheduled bout with Daniel Cormier, and press pause on his promising career until now.

Each win thus far has increased the attention on Miocic, and should he emerge from his meeting with del Rosario with a zero still holding down residency in his career loss column, the spotlight is sure to get even brighter. That kind of scrutiny can be unnerving for some, regardless of age and experience, but the former Division I All-American from Cleveland State University isn’t worried about succumbing to the pressures or buying into his own hype.

“(The key is) just having the right people behind you — coaches, family, and friends — and not worry about the hype,” says Miocic. “Just keep doing what you’ve been doing; the reason you got there.

“I just take it in stride, (and try to) keep getting better each fight. I have my coaches on me, telling me stuff to keep working on. I have no say in who I fight — they give me the call, and I’m fortunate and thankful that they’ve given me this fight at UFC 146. (It’s a great opportunity), but you’ve got to keep getting better, and keep winning. That’s what people want to see.”

Miocic gives a great deal of credit to the team of coaches and fighters he trains alongside as a part of the Strong Style Fight Team, a group that includes former UFC competitor Forrest Petz, and Bellator veterans Chris Lozano and Brian Rogers.

“We’re hard workers, and we’re a close, tight group with great coaching. (Head coach) Marcus Marinelli is phenomenal. He helps us get better at our games, and uses things that are going to help us, not just give us stuff that we should try. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, and he’ll think of something that would work in our arsenal.”

The 8-0 heavyweight prospect already possesses a solid arsenal, with his weapon of choice being the big right hand he used to halt De Fries’ unbeaten streak in Omaha, Nebraska earlier this year. After getting tagged with a couple early shots, Miocic seemingly decided, “Enough is enough” and went on the offensive, an explanation he agrees to with a laugh before elaborating.

“I just started off slowly, and I can’t do that. I thought he was going to take me down; I didn’t think about his hands too much. He hit me, but (it wasn’t anything) I wasn’t prepared for; I think I can take a punch. And then I hit him with the right hand.”

Simple as that — “and then I hit him with the right hand.”

That’s why heavyweights draw casual and hardcore audiences alike, and why the upcoming battle of the unbeaten prospect between Miocic and del Rosario might be the most intriguing fight on the all-heavyweight main card at UFC 146.

Miocic is eager to get back into the cage and test himself against his toughest opponent to date. But where some fighters are worried about living up to the hype, the talented heavyweight prospect is focused on one thing and one thing only.

“It’s going to be a war; I’m looking for a three-round war, and I’m expecting him to be tough as nails, but I’m going to get that W no matter how it ends. Decision, submission, knockout, I don’t care — just get that W.”

TO GET READY FOR THE BIG EVENT, CHECK OUT THE UFC 146 E-PROGRAM BY CLICKING HERE

Looking over Josh Barnett’s resume, the list of men he’s faced in his career is a mix of heavyweight royalty and tough, talented fighters a notch below the elite. After accumulating 31 wins over a 15-year career, you might be tempted to think that getting motivated is a challenge or that the end of the road is within sight for the 34-year-old catch wrestler.

Think again.

“I really like the sport, and I like training,” explains the articulate, well-spoken heavyweight. “When I’m not training for fights, I’ll often play with other martial arts like Silat or Panantukan, whatever I can get my hands on. I enjoy the movement, and the challenge of learning something new, and adding to the skills that I already possess.

“When it comes to the fighting, the prime motivation is that I want to be the best in the world. I’ve still got years left to do this, and I’m not gonna stop until I can’t do this anymore. When that athletic window is over, I’ll know it, and I’ll at least be able to say that I have no regrets.

“And (it’s also) because I really enjoy fighting,” adds Barnett with a slight laugh, echoing the sentiments shared in the “I Am A Fighter” video he recently filmed for Showtime. “I enjoy the violence, the combat. I like being in there having this guy trying to hurt me, and having the free rein to do whatever it takes to put this guy into the floor.”

Saturday night in San Jose, the guy he will be trying to put through the floor is undefeated former Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier, as the pair square off in the finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. Having already dispatched both Brett Rogers and Sergei Kharitonov in dominant fashion, Barnett is one more win away from being the last man standing in the Strikeforce heavyweight ranks.

Achieving that feat will be no easy task.

Brought into the tournament as a replacement for Alistair Overeem in the semifinals, Cormier earned his place opposite Barnett with an impressive first round knockout victory over Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Many viewed the Brazilian heavyweight as the favorite following his opening round dismantling of Fedor Emelianenko and Overeem’s removal from the competition, but Cormier used his superior movement and improved striking to rock the former Elite XC champion before earning the stoppage just ahead of the four-minute mark of the opening round.

It was the type of performance that elevates a fighter from prospect to contender, and while Barnett is acutely aware of the dangers Cormier presents, defeat is not an option when your mission is to establish yourself as the best heavyweight in the sport today.

“I’ve gotta win this tournament, and I’ve gotta beat Daniel, but it’s not just Daniel — I’ve gotta beat everybody that I get into the ring with. I can’t really allow for…”

Barnett’s voice trails off as he stops to put his thoughts on losing together.

“Not that I ever allow for losses to have any precedent or any sort of space in my life — I know that that is something that you have to accept — but I really try my utmost to keep that so far from even acceptance because I don’t want to allow the concept of losing, anything other than complete and utter victory to be foremost in my mind at all times.”

Save for Barnett and Cormier, the Strikeforce heavyweight division has been boarded up, though the Grand Prix champion will remain in the organization for at least one more fight after Saturday night.

For the most part, the best of the best in the big boy ranks reside in the UFC. It wasn’t that long ago that the idea of seeing Barnett return to the Octagon seemed impossible, but UFC President Dana White has said that he’d be ready to have Barnett join the rest of the former Strikeforce fighters on the UFC roster at the conclusion of the Heavyweight Grand Prix, win or lose.

Barnett last fought in the UFC more than a decade ago, departing after being stripped of the heavyweight title he won from Randy Couture following a positive post-fight drug test at UFC 36.

While most would assume returning to the UFC would be one of the chief goals of a fighter determined to establish himself as the best in his weight class, Barnett says not so fast.

Though he allows the current MMA landscape makes it very difficult for a fighter to considered the best in their respective weight class while competing outside the UFC — “Yes, to a degree, this is true.” — Barnett’s focus is on who he beats, not where he beats them.

“To beat all those guys is very important, and this may seem contradictory, but it’s not important to get back to the UFC. It’s important to be the best fighter I can be, and be as confident and devastating in the ring as possible, and the rest will work itself out.”

Comments like that are part of why Barnett remains an intriguing figure in the heavyweight ranks 15 years into his career. Not only does he deliver entertaining fights and pile up victories, the part-time pro wrestler also isn’t afraid to say what’s on his mind, before he’s stepped in the cage or after he’s had his hand raised in victory.

“The inherent similarity is there, and it’s plain for all to see,” says Barnett of the relationship between wrestling and mixed martial arts. “It’s just that most fighters don’t have much personality or lack the ability to put it out there in a very interesting way. Not my fault.

“I’m gonna go out there and put my feelings out there, let the world know what I’m thinking, create interest, and give them something to hate or love, but nonetheless care about, and I don’t see any other way to really be the best I can be without bringing that part of the equation into play.

“I don’t think it’s for everyone — everyone’s going to find their own way to do it — but just gimme a mic, gimme a camera, and a room full of people, and that’s all I need. The stage is set.”

It is for Saturday night in San Jose, where Barnett will look to add another name to his impressive list of vanquished foes, and take another step towards reaching his goal of conquering the heavyweight division.

The man known to many simply as “Mayhem” is at a crossroads in his career.

Expected to enter the UFC opposite veteran Aaron Simpson at UFC 132 last July, Jason Miller was instead handed the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to coach Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter opposite former TUF winner and top five contender Michael “The Count” Bisping.

Rather than having to work his way up from the middle of the pack in the 185-pound ranks, Miller was being given a shot at jumping to the head of the line. After more than three months of televised bickering between the two, fight night arrived, and the highlight of “Mayhem’s” performance was his entertaining walk to the cage.

Bisping dominated Miller, earning a stoppage win just past the midway point of the third round. Though it was the 44th fight of his career, Miller looked like a newcomer inside the cage, throwing awkward strikes, and fatiguing quickly.

The criticism came fast and furious, and from every direction, including the top of the UFC. Dana White openly pondered whether or not to keep Miller on the roster, and called the contest one of the most lopsided fights he’s ever seen. While many have pressed him for an explanation, the verbose 31-year-old veteran has refrained from saying much — if anything — about his performance.

“Nobody cares about your excuses,” blurts out Miller before the question is completed, knowing it will end at his decision not to discuss his December outing against Bisping. “The point is get in there and do it right, you know? I threw that fight away, and it was my fault. I’m not going to cry about it — I’m going to look forward, and win the fight on the 26th.”

After serving as one half of a highly anticipated main event in his UFC debut, Miller is back in the middle of the pack for his second outing, aligned with former Ultimate Fighter finalist C.B. Dollaway on the preliminary portion of UFC 146, the company’s annual Memorial Day weekend event.

Miller has no problem with the flood of criticism that flowed following the Bisping debacle, and not only did he completely understand White’s reaction to his performance, the former “Bully Beatdown” host has told the UFC President that if he offers up a similar showing against Dollaway, he’s calling it a career.

“Everybody likes to kick a guy when he’s down, but I don’t give a damn,” says Miller of the critical response to his performance from fans and media. “If I’m man enough to stand in front of my mom and the rest of the world and get my ass kicked, I think I’m strong enough to take some criticism from a guy who never laced on some gloves.

“I told (Dana) if I put on a show like that again, I’m quitting,” Miller says flatly. “That was ridiculous. That wasn’t me out there; that wasn’t me. I threw that fight away, and so it’s up to me to go ahead and really make a statement on the 26th. The best thing that ever happened to me is me getting beat up by Michael Bisping because I’ve approached my entire career in a completely different light.”

Like Miller, Dollaway will enter the Octagon with his back against the wall. After earning five wins in his first six post-TUF appearances, the 28-year-old Arizona native has dropped back-to-back contests, getting stopped by Miller’s teammate Munoz last March before falling to Jared Hamman last summer.

Though Dollaway has a 5-0 edge in UFC wins and five times as many appearances in the Octagon, Miller is thoroughly unimpressed with what his opponent has accomplished to date, and sees himself staving off early retirement with relative ease.

“I just look at who he’s fought in the past, and I look at — you know — I look at who he’s fought in the past, and how I match up with them, and I know that… this should be an easy night for me. On top of that, I trained my ass off. I’m not gonna make this a personal thing with the guy, but at the same time, I’m not gonna pretend to respect him.

“There’s a stark contrast between me and him. You can see that I’m mentally tough, and I’m a bit of a masochist, so I’ll take the abuse, and go through it. When the going gets tough, this guy quits, and I’m gonna make him quit.

“I shredded the fat out of my training camp,” Miller continues, explaining why things will be different this time around. “I was getting hung up on gimmicks, and having too many people crowded into my training camp. The good thing about losing a fight is that you lose a lot of quote-unquote friends. I got rid of the people who weren’t doing anything for me, and now I’ve focused on the core group of training partners who are going to make me successful.”

While the sarcasm and snark are ever-present, Miller’s brusque tone speaks volumes as well. Even if he sounds like he’s joking most the time, he’s acutely aware of how pivotal this fight is for his career.

With the loser of this fight possibly receiving a handshake and best wishes in their future endeavors, Miller knows nothing else matters other than coming away with the victory, including where this bout is in the lineup on fight night.

“I don’t give a damn (where I’m at on the card). When I’m inside the cage, I finally get to have fun. All the stupidness is over — all the cutting weight, every day going to practice, not eating what I want to eat, not drinking what I want to drink, you know what I mean? All the suffering is over. That’s supposed to be the performance part, so I don’t care where it is on the card. I don’t care if I’m fighting him in the back parking lot, Structure C; I’m going to fight just as hard.

“I’m going to knock his fart-face off, and I’m going to send him packing. There’s no way around it.”

It took 40 fights and nearly ten years for Carlo Prater to make his way into the UFC Octagon.

A veteran who has fought throughout North America and in his native Brazil, Prater had made a name for himself by taking tough fights on short notice, alternating between welterweight and lightweight throughout career, and his UFC debut would be no different.

When Siyar Bahadurzada was forced from his UFC 142 matchup with rising welterweight star Erick Silva, Prater was tabbed to replace him. Short notice or not, it was the opportunity the 30-year-old Brazilian had been working towards his whole career.

The bout lasted just 29 seconds, and while the record shows a victory for Prater, it wasn’t the type of outing he was hoping to have in his UFC debut.

Silva came out like a rocket, dropping Prater almost instantly, chasing him to the canvas with a torrent of lefts and rights in an attempt to finish the fight. As Prater tried to avoid punishment, Silva connected with a couple of borderline strikes, receiving a warning from referee Mario Yamasaki. Silva continued to land, and seconds later, the fight was over, but instead of a second consecutive UFC win in under a minute for middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s talented protégé, Prater took home a disqualification win, much to the dismay of the pro-Silva crowd assembled at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

“I didn’t want that,” says Prater, discussing his inauspicious UFC debut. “I’m pretty sure he didn’t want it either, but it is what it is; it happened. I was feeling an incredible amount of pain shooting down my arm at the time, and I wanted to get checked out. I didn’t care if I had won or lost; I just wanted to be well again.”

Four months later, the 30-10-1 Prater is prepared to return to the cage opposite Canadian TJ Grant in a lightweight contest he plans to use to make a much better first impression.

“I’m anxious with this fight to be able to move past that. It was an unfortunate incident, but I just use it as fuel to my fire. As soon as I was medically cleared, I got back to training down here, and have just ramped it up to another notch.

“I’ve hired different people (for this camp). I’m working with a whole slew of different professionals down here. I’m in incredible shape right now, very focused, and just looking forward to showing everybody why I was contracted in the first place.”

Don’t let Prater’s sub-30 second UFC debut fool you — the Brazilian is a talented and experienced fighter, having shared the cage with the likes of Melvin Guillard, Spencer Fisher, and Carlos Condit over the course of his career. A black belt in both Brazilian jiu-jitsu and luta livre, Prater has been tough to finish throughout his career, while collecting half of his wins by submission.

Yet after suffering through a seven-fight stretch that yielded a 2-5 record, Prater knew he needed to make some changes.

“I’d say me being more a part of my son’s life (had a huge impact),” he explains. “I moved back down to Brazil, and he’s been a tremendous motivation to me over the last year-and-a-half. I take great pride in being able to be a father full-time, and that’s incredible motivation for what I do Monday through Saturday — being able to look at myself at the end of a long day, and say I did the best I could.

“I think (it also) had to do with me surrounding myself with more helpful relationships. I had a lot of relationships — friends, people around me outside of the gym — that just weren’t really pushing me as a professional. I needed to get serious at some point, and I had to take a long, hard, introspective look in the mirror, and get down to the core of what I am and what I do.

“I love combat; I love the huffing and puffing when I’m tired, and bloody, and so is he. I love the challenge of knowing I beat a man, and he was trying to beat me. I had to get away from certain influences and friendships. Other than that, I just focused more and more, listened to my trainers more and more, and do what they ask me to do. It was a shift in mindset and a shift in focus.”

Since dropping a unanimous decision to recent UFC newcomer Reza Medadi in October 2010, Prater rattled off four consecutive finishes to earn the call to replace Bahadurzada against Silva in January, showing the skill set that he hopes to put on display a week from today when he steps into the cage with Grant on the undercard of the UFC’s third event on FUEL TV on May 15th.

Though his controversial debut has been a dominant part of the narrative leading up to the card in Fairfax, Virgina, Prater prefers to heed the words of one of his trainers, and use this contest as the catalyst to a lengthy, successful stint as a member of the UFC lightweight division.

“I like to bring up something that my trainer always tells me. He’s like `Look man, your career starts now. You’re 0-0. Each fight is your first and your last fight.’ You have to look at it like that.

“When you’re fighting for the UFC, you’re no longer 30-10 or 5-1 or whatever your record was previously; you’re 0-0, and that’s every UFC fight you go into. After any fight, you can get canned, so that’s just something I always keep in the back of my head. I want to put on an incredible performance, and that’s what it is — it’s motivation more than anything.

“I relish this pressure,” continues Prater, who handed Carlos Condit the first loss of his career more than seven years ago. “I love fighting for the largest fighting organization in the world. As far as I’m concerned, I’m going to retire one day several years down the road as a UFC fighter. I have no plans on leaving the UFC ever; I want to make it my home, and make it a long, fruitful partnership for as long as I can. I want to be a UFC fighter for a long time to come.”

To keep that dream alive, Prater will need to deliver on against Grant, a tough Canadian veteran who earned a first round submission win over Shane Roller in his lightweight debut back in October. After struggling in his debut, Prater is confident his second appearance will prove he deserves to be inside the Octagon with the best the sport has to offer in the lightweight division.

“The last one was very much just me doing what I’ve done so many other times — taking hard fights against tough up-and-comers in a variety of weight classes on short notice,” admits Prater. “I’ve done that so many times in my career that I have that `screw it’ mentality, but it’s hurt me over the years, taking these really tough fights on short notice.

“And then you’re approached by the largest organization in the world, and every fighter’s dream is to fight for the UFC, including mine, so of course I was dying (to accept the offer). They could have offered me Jon “Bones” Jones, and I would have jumped at it; not that I’m saying I could beat Jon “Bones” Jones. I just feel one hundred percent more confident for this fight, knowing that I’ve put in all the work that needs to be done.”

After accepting a nightmare pairing with Silva on short notice for his debut, Prater has put in a full camp in preparation for his first fight in the UFC’s 155-pound ranks, and Grant profiles as a much better matchup for the Brazilian.

“I think that we’re going to match up well; it’s going to be a dynamic fight. He trades well, he’s a good grappler, and I’m the same. We’re both experienced and well rounded; we’re both cool and calm under pressure.

“It’s going to be a good fight — I can just tell. I think it’s going to be an exciting fight for the fans, and hopefully we put on a great performance, the card goes quick, and we get shown (on the broadcast).

“I’ve invested every cent that I have in this camp,” says Prater in closing. “I’ve taken no shortcuts. Everything I’ve ever been told I should do, I’ve done. I’ve got such a clear conscience at this point. I really like where I’m at right now, and I just want to be able to show everybody that I belong in the UFC, and I deserve to be in the lightweight division with the rest of the great fighters in the weight class.

“I’m going to go out there, give it my all, and let my training do the talking. I’m just really looking forward to May 15.”

Timing is everything.

Last year, as Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard remained locked into a trilogy atop the UFC lightweight division, a collection of fighters with championship aspirations built their cases for being next in line.

Among that group was Whippany, New Jersey native Jim Miller. A scrappy, blue-collar-to-the-core contender, Miller had put together a seven-fight winning streak since losing a decision to Maynard at UFC 96. The only other loss of his career came a little more than three years earlier against Edgar in a battle for the Reality Fighting lightweight title.

Injuries pushed back Edgar-Maynard 3 until October. In the interim, Miller was booked with another of those emerging contenders, former WEC champion Benson Henderson, in the co-main event of a Fight Night event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Though it played second fiddle to a welterweight fight between Chris Lytle and Dan Hardy, most everyone viewed Miller-Henderson as the real main event. UFC President Dana White had announced a victory would elevate Miller to the top of the list of challengers — a chance to rematch one of the two men that had beaten him previously in a battle for the lightweight title. All he had to do was get through Henderson.

It wasn’t meant to be. Henderson controlled Miller throughout their three round encounter, sweeping the scorecards and halting Miller’s seven-fight winning streak at the same time. Henderson would go on to earn a title shot later in the year, and he completed his climb to the top of the division with a victory over Edgar at UFC 144 in February.

Along the way, the large crop of contenders that had bottlenecked at the top of the division back in the summer had been whittled down substantially. Henderson had dispatched Clay Guida after defeating Miller, while Joe Lauzon upset Melvin Guillard, ending his solid run of success. In December, Nate Diaz collected his second consecutive win since returning to the lightweight ranks, halting Donald Cerrone’s steady climb up the rankings with a performance eerily similar to those his older brother Nick had been putting forth in recent years.

Miller returned in January opposite Guillard, a pairing that would allow the winner to bounce right back into contention. Headlining the UFC’s maiden voyage on the FX network, Miller made the most of his opportunity, surviving an early power shot from Guillard that planted him on his backside to choke out his enigmatic opponent just over two minutes into the very first round.

The victory earned him a pairing with Diaz on the top of the UFC’s third show on FOX, a shot at the lightweight title going to the victor.

“You know, timing definitely does come into play,” says Miller in his standard laid-back drawl. “There were a couple guys there that if the title situation didn’t get as backed up as it had that could have fought — myself, Melvin, even Cerrone with five impressive wins. It’s just the way that it works out some times.

“Losing in August doesn’t erase the nine prior wins that I have in the UFC; those are still there. I’ve done that work, so it might not be as long of a streak now, but I’ve still beaten all the guys that I’ve beaten.”

If Miller seems unaffected by the twists and turns in the road to the lightweight title, it’s because the 28-year-old married father of two has never made what he does in the cage out to be anything more than a job. Training and stepping into the Octagon is his version of a 9 to 5, and though he’s very good at what he does, Miller refuses to let his career define him.

“I’ve always been that type of person where I never got too carried away with it,” he explains. “I try to have a lot of things going, and do a lot of stuff. I’m real close with my family, and I always knew that no matter what I do — fighting is just a sporting event, and a job for me. The situation with my nephew is one of those times where it solidifies that there are bigger things than getting into the Octagon.”

Daniel James Miller Jr. is the son of UFC welterweight Dan Miller, Jim’s older brother. The two-year-old boy was born with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (PKD), and is awaiting a kidney transplant. Having already had both of his kidneys removed in order to prepare for the transplant, Danny Jr. undergoes daily dialysis treatment, and will be on anti-rejection medications for the remainder of his life.

“He’s doing all right; he’s been a lot better lately,” Miller says as an update on his nephew’s condition. “They’ve finally got him infection free. Hopefully he’ll be back home soon, and they can get that transplant.”

Watching your nephew battle through that, it’s easy to understand why the ups and downs of a career in the cage don’t seem to faze the lightweight half of New Jersey’s Fighting Miller Brothers.

On a different level, it’s the same reason being one half of the headlining act in his home state doesn’t get much of an emotional response from Miller either. Whether he’s fighting as part of the main event in East Rutherford or the first fight of the night in Butte, Montana, the workmanlike lightweight with a 21-3 record is still going to approach the task at hand the same.

“As a fight, it’s the same thing,” says Miller matter-of-factly. “When I think of it as fighting my opponent and what it’s going to be like that night, it’s the same as any other thing — the door closes behind me, and my vision doesn’t extend beyond that cage. I’m still getting locked inside of a chain-link fence with another guy who has been training for months to punch me in the face.

“There has been a larger media presence because of being on FOX and being the main event, and in this area, so there is more to it than normal, but that’s what I want.”

Some fighters make no effort to hide their contempt for the media obligations that accompany being a UFC fighter. As he explains the taxing and sometimes frustrating schedule of events that awaits him during Fight Week, it’s clear that Miller would prefer to be anywhere else during his final few days of weight cutting, but the consummate professional will take his seat at the pre-fight press conference, and fulfill his obligation with a smile on his face.

After all, it’s a requirement when you rise to the position of potential title challenger and main event fighter, and that’s a position Miller is happy to hold at this point in his career.

“There’s been some media and stuff, but it hasn’t been a burden. Fight week is definitely going to be a little more hectic, and that’s when it counts; that’s when it will have an effect. Even the first couple days are easy, but it’s the day before weigh-ins when it starts.

“That’s usually when there is a decent amount of media going on, and that’s when we start feeling it. We as fighters usually do a good job of hiding it because it starts to take a toll on you, and you start to feel a little miserable. When the weight starts coming down, you’re a little bit anxious, a little bit antsy, and a little short, but it’s all part of the job.”

While making nice with the media is a piece of what he does for a living, stepping in the cage with Diaz on Saturday night is where he’ll really earn his keep, and potentially the title shot that has eluded him thus far.

The younger half of the Diaz Brothers has looked impressive since dropping back down to the 155-pound ranks following back-to-back losses in the welterweight division in the first half of 2011. Precise boxing, high punch counts, and a slick ground game have fueled his successful return; the same recipe that has turned his brother Nick into one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport today.

Though he admits that Diaz will be a difficult challenge once the cage door closes, Miller is buoyed by the fact that the talented trash talker who won Season five of The Ultimate Fighter has struggled against opponents with a skill set similar to the one he will carry into the Octagon on May 5 at the IZOD Center.

“Nate is a very tough fight for anybody in this weight class; he’s as tough as they come, and very well trained. His boxing in his last fight was awesome, and cardio-wise, his volume of punches that he threw was pretty incredible to watch. He’s good on the mat too, so it’s a tough fight.

“I have some similar characteristics to guys that have beaten him, so that keeps my confidence up to where I know I just have to go in and fight my fight, do what I’m capable of, and put it to him because he has shown that little bit of weakness. It’s about trying to capitalize on that.”

Miller will be ready to put in an honest day’s work come fight night, just as he has in each of his previous 12 trips inside the Octagon. As for how he intends to deal with the trash talk that is likely headed his way in the days leading up to the fight, and once he and Diaz are alone in the cage?

“I honestly haven’t worried about it. I just completely disregard it, so it doesn’t matter to me. It’s not going to get a rise out of me.”

Listening to trash talk isn’t part of the job description.

Max Hiler isn’t your typical 12-year-old.

As a student, he’s in the gifted and talented program at school, bringing home straight As on his report card. He loves science, and is fascinated by Stephen Hawking, the renowned British theoretical physicist who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

He’s on the swim team at school, and played one year of football before declaring, “You know, that was fun, but I’m not doing that again.” He also likes martial arts, having started taking aikido not too long ago.

Outside of the classroom and sports, Max is kind and generous. This past Christmas, after seeing a Toys for Tots commercial on television, he brought all his video games to the local GameStop, sold them, and then donated the money to the local Toys for Tots campaign.

“He said that he thinks that’s the worst thing there could be: for a kid to wake up and not have any presents on Christmas,” said his mom, Michelle Hiler.

On Easter Sunday of this year, Max had a headache.

He’d had them before, off and on over the last few months, but never anything too bad. He’d been to see his family practitioner in the past, but there were no signs that there was anything to be worried about.

As the day wore on, Max’s headache turned into a migraine, so his mom decided to take him to the emergency room, hoping to get a shot to help the pain subside.

“They did a CAT scan when we were there, and within hours we were at a Children’s Hospital in San Antonio having emergency surgery on his brain to install the shunt — a ventriculoperitoneal shunt or VP shunt,” explained Ms. Hiler.

Doctors discovered Max has what is known as a pineal teratoma, a rare tumor that develops in the pineal region of the brain, just above the brain stem.

“It’s a very rare form of tumor,” explained Max’s dad, Sean Hiler. “In the City of San Antonio, there probably isn’t another person who has had it. In the United States, there are probably only about 175 people who have that same condition, and in the world, there’s probably only about 3,500.”

The non-cancerous tumor is caused by the continued growth of stem cells during gestation.

“It’s just something he’s born with,” continued Mr. Hiler. “Certain stem cells that were supposed to shut off didn’t shut off, so they start growing. They’re just cells that don’t get the message to shut off, and because it’s not cancerous, it doesn’t respond to radiation or chemotherapy.”

Max is scheduled to have surgery on at Christus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital in San Antonio, Texas on Monday.

On Friday, Max had an unexpected visitor, as interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit made the trip to San Antonio to spend the afternoon with this incredible 12-year-old boy who truly embodies what it means to be a fighter.

“For today, to have Mr. Condit just call us and say, `Hey, I’m on my way. I’d like to meet Max’ was amazing,” said Ms. Hiler. “To have somebody just drop what they’re doing — their whole schedule for the day — and take a flight out to meet somebody they’ve never met before, it really meant a lot. And I know it did to Max too.”

“(Carlos Condit) is a great ambassador for the sport,” added Sean Hiler, choking back tears. “Everything he does… he’s just an amazing individual. He’s just an incredibly… incredibly kind and generous man.

“I sent an email to him thinking that maybe he’d send an autographed picture or maybe a card or something; I never actually expected that he would come here. I was driving back from Houston, and my wife sent me a text saying `Carlos Condit is on his way to the house.’ I just about wrecked my truck I was so shocked by it.

“Everything has happened so fast, and for Carlos to see that need, and to have that compassion to just drop everything, and come see Max… I can’t even put it into words.”

As it turns out, Max and the former WEC welterweight champion have a lot in common, spending the afternoon hanging out on the couch, talking about their mutual affinity for science documentaries, martial arts, and dogs. Condit was also made an honorary knight in The Royal Council of Bald Men.

“Max had to have his head shaved for the surgery, so he has this club that he’s started called The Royal Council of Bald Men,” explained Sean Hiler. “All the guys in the family and a lot of our friends have all shaved our heads in solidarity, and Max has this little foam sword, and he knights us all, accepting us into The Order. We’ve got a picture of him knighting Carlos and giving him an honorary membership into The Royal Council of Bald Men.”

“We received a letter from his dad, just telling us his situation,” Condit said Friday on his way back from San Antonio. “There was the option to send him a video or send him a shirt or something, but I decided to go out and visit him, and it was great.

“I feel like I’ve been blessed to do what I do for a living, and if I can act — it was great visiting Max and his family, and I’m glad I went.”

“I think it was kind of surreal for (Max) to have this person coming into his house that he’s heard his dad talk about, and seen on TV,” said Ms. Hiler. “I think it was just kind of surreal for him. He enjoyed it — he really enjoyed Carlos, and talking to him about dogs, and science, and the universe.”

“It was just amazing listening to he and Max talk to each other,” said Sean Hiler. “Just how much they had in common — things that they enjoyed, and similarities with things that Max likes. He brought his belt, and Max got to take his picture holding his belt around his waist.

“I posted on Facebook that the UFC belt that he has is bigger and heavier than you can imagine; you pick that thing up, and it is so heavy,” chuckled Mr. Hiler. “But the belt that Carlos deserves for just being such a great human being… is too big for most men to be able to lift, and he wears it easily.”

Though he’s been feeling better since having the shunt installed on Easter Sunday, Max has to head back to the hospital on Monday for a lengthy surgery, where the doctors hope to be able to excise the tumor if possible.

“Their plan is to just go in and do a biopsy just to see what the tumor is for sure,” explained Mr. Hiler, “but the neurosurgeon, Dr. Mancuso, said that she believes it is probably a teratoma.

“(Max has) named his tumor Voldemort,” he continued. For the scant few who might have missed out on the entire Harry Potter phenomenon, Lord Voldemort is the arch-enemy of the young wizard with the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. “He’s scared, but he wants to get it over with; he wants to kill Voldemort.”

“He told me (Thursday) that he can’t wait for Monday to get here, and that he’s terrified that Monday will get here,” recalled Ms. Hiler. “He wants to get it over with and be done with it, but at the same time, he’s afraid. I told him, `That’s okay. I’m afraid too.’”

Despite the severity of his condition, Max’s parents say the bright, young future astronomer has maintained a positive outlook, his curiosity focused on the incredible amount of support and attention he’s received over the last month.

“He’s a little taken aback by all of the attention that he’s getting, more so than he has any fear of the upcoming surgery,” offered Ms. Hiler. “He doesn’t feel sorry for himself. The other day he said, `Why am I getting so much attention? Aren’t there other sick kids in the world too?’ He just doesn’t see himself as a special. He doesn’t understand why he’s getting so much attention, and other kids may not be getting so much attention.”

That’s what makes you so special, Max.

Keep fighting!

Here’s a video of Max from Friday, put together by his science teacher (and favorite teacher), “Coach” Jimmy Bryant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr92_DiVbu4&feature=colike

For more information on Max, please visit: http://maxhiler.chipin.com/max-hiler-fund