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Why the UFC Should Do More Divisional Showcase Events

The build-up to this weekend’s UFC 158 card has been nothing short of epic. Normally drab conference calls and pre-fight press conferences have been all the rage due to the ramblings of Nick Diaz, which have only served to bolster the buzz leading up t…

While the main event is getting the lion’s share of attention, two other high-profile 170-pound tilts have made the card at UFC 158 one of the year’s most anticipated affairs. UFC President Dana White labeled Saturday night’s event at The Bell Centre an “un-official” welterweight tournament, due to having the top six fighters in the 170-pound weight class stepping into the Octagon.

The stacked welterweight showing in Montreal will mark the second time in less than a year the organization has assembled a card to showcase a particular weight class. In May of 2012 at UFC 146, the promotion went with an all heavyweight lineup on the pay-per-view portion of the event in what turned out to be one of the year’s strongest cards.

Much like UFC 158, the headlining bout featured a championship clash as Junior dos Santos squared off with Frank Mir. Rounding out the card were a collection of the UFC’s top big men as Cain Velasquez, Antonio Silva, Roy Nelson and Stefan Struve all saw action in Las Vegas. The event put the spotlight on a weight class the organization has been pushing to build for years, and the end result was a show that was successful on multiple levels.

While the welterweight division has been one of the deepest and most competitive under the UFC banner for years, Saturday night’s 170-pound throwdowns will serve a similar purpose to what the heavyweight lineup at UFC 146 was able to accomplish.

Title Pictures Become Clear as Contenders Rise and Fall

Aside from the title fight atop the billing at UFC 158, the clash between Carlos Condit and Johny Hendricks is set to determine the next contender to the welterweight crown. While there was previously speculation on this matter, at today’s pre-fight press conference for the event that streamed live on the company’s website, UFC President Dana White declared that the winner of Condit vs. Hendricks would get the next shot.

This is important because it keeps the divisional title picture moving. In a weight class as competitive as the welterweight division, the action needs to stay at a steady pace to ensure contenders move up and fighters lingering on the edge can breakthrough. Other weight classes in the UFC fold have experienced this backlog in previous years and it creates a blurred picture as to who is clearly standing in the title realm.

Another crucial bout in the welterweight pairings at UFC 158 comes between Jake Ellenberger and Nate Marquardt. “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger has won seven of his last eight showings, and a win over the former Strikeforce welterweight champion will solidify his position as a contender in waiting.

The same can be said for Marquardt. The 33-year-old Colorado-based fighter is looking to make a statement in his return to the Octagon. After being cut from the promotion in the fall of 2011, Marquardt has been on a mission for redemption.

The former No. 1 contender to the middleweight title made a move down to welterweight, looking to carve out a new lane in his career. A win over Ellenberger would certainly prove Marquardt deserves to be among the top of the divisional hierarchy in the 170-pound weight class.

While the winners will take a strong step towards a title opportunity, the losers of Saturday night’s dust-ups are going to face a tough road. A collection of fighters are waiting their turns to make strong runs, and in the aftermath of this weekend’s card, several spots will be available.

A similar comparison can be made to what happened at UFC 146. Former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was making his first appearance since suffering a first-round knockout at the hands of Junior dos Santos. The AKA staple locked up with Antonio “Big Foot” Silva in the night’s co-main event, stopping the Brazilian in less than a round due to his brutal ground-and-pound attack.

On the strength of the victory, White deemed Velasquez would be given the opportunity to rematch dos Santos for the heavyweight title. With both JDS and Velasquez competing on the same card, the decision to make the fight was an easy choice, and a transparent path UFC fans could follow.

A Group of Fighters on the Same Schedule

A difficult part of UFC matchmaker Joe Silva’s job is lining up bouts that fit into both fighter’s timelines. Often times, one fighter will have a lengthy lay-off while he waits for an opponent that makes sense to materialize. When the UFC schedules multiple bouts on a card featuring fighters in the same weight class, this makes things a bit easier in that department.

Aside from the three bouts previously mentioned in Montreal, there are three additional bouts laced throughout the undercard that features competitors in the 170-pound weight class. With the fighters on the undercard locking up and all being in similar places in the divisional standings, it is a relatively easy choice to match-up the winners and losers of those scraps.

It would make sense for the winner of Dan Miller vs. Jordan Mein to face the victor in the bout between Patrick Cote and Bobby Voelker. Granted, this idea hinges on the idea that no one will get injured and face a lengthy lay-off, but the theory is solid should all work out in normal fashion.

This exact scenario played out perfectly for the UFC during the heavyweight showcase when surging prospects Stefan Struve and Stipe Miocic both emerged victorious from their respective bouts at UFC 146. The Dutch “Skyscraper” submitted Lavar Johnson in quick fashion, and Miocic knocked the shine off of Shane Del Rosario’s seemingly bright future. With both fighters coming off solid wins, a matchup at UFC on Fuel TV 5 a few months later in September made perfect sense.

These particular situations could perhaps be the greatest benefit to a divisional showcase card. The fan base gets to watch prospects and contenders develop against the backdrop of the very best the weight class has to offer. This of course makes future matchups all the more intriguing because there is a familiarity with the fighters involved, and once fans are locked in, they will follow a fighter’s progression in good times and bad.

Two More Showcases I’d Like to See

With the heavyweight and welterweight divisions employing this method, I would love to see two other weight classes take this approach. Both the lightweight and featherweight divisions have heated up over the past two years—a card that would serve to highlight the best each weight class had to offer would be a strong move.

While both divisions have experienced their fair share of lulls, where movement towards the title is concerned, a showcase such as the one taking place this weekend in Montreal would be a solid remedy to the problem.

By putting the championship fight as the main event, and allowing the other top fighters in the weight class to sort things out in the same night, it’s only going to keep things moving in the right direction. Even if an upset occurs, the title changes hands and a rematch is granted, the fighter competing in the co-main event can squabble with the winner of the fight below him and it would not only make sense, but it would keep things moving despite the championship rematch.

On the other hand, the UFC has made a habit recently of putting together title fights that go outside the normal flow of a division. Therefore, the solution offered may not be perfect, but it does keep certain aspects of the division from being jammed up.

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UFC 158: Bout Shake-Up Created an Interesting Opportunity for Carlos Condit

When Carlos Condit steps into the Octagon Saturday night in Montreal, it will be one day shy of four months since the last time he did so. While there will be no title on the line and no pound-for-pound great standing across from him, many of the outsi…

The Canadian crowd will be losing their minds in anticipation of his scrap with Johny Hendricks, and despite the bout preceding the card’s headlining showdown between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz, there is plenty of “big fight” feel surrounding the co-main event.

The former interim champion will square off with a man considered by many to be the true No. 1 contender to the welterweight crown in Hendricks. “Bigg Rigg” is riding a five-fight win streak coming into the bout with Condit, and should the former two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion emerge victorious, his long-awaited title shot should be etched in stone

The same case can be made if Condit derails the Oklahoma native in the tilt, though this may not have been the case had things played out to their original schedule.

The Road to Gold Can Be Fruitful or Unforgiving

The 28-year-old Albuquerque-based fighter was slated to rematch surging contender Rory MacDonald on the welterweight showcase, but an injury suffered by the talented young Canadian forced him to the sidelines.

With the spot opposite Condit available, the Team Takedown fighter jumped at the opportunity to mix it up with “The Natural Born Killer” in Montreal. This turn of events created an interesting situation for Condit, because a win over Hendricks would be a strong argument for Condit to step directly back into a title shot.

Had the original scheduled bout with MacDonald taken place, the case for Condit receiving a title shot may not have been as strong, since the 23-year-old’s place in the divisional hierarchy is not clearly defined.

In Hendricks, the Jackson-Winkeljohn trained fighter has an opponent who has generated buzz and campaigned for the past year to get a title shot. The heavy-handed welterweight has been a wrecking machine in the 170-pound division, and if Condit can find a way to grab a victory, another crack at the welterweight crown could very likely be in short order.

On the other hand, should Condit come up short against Hendricks, the loss would potentially move him to the back of the line in the contender’s class of the 170-pound division. With the weight class growing more competitive by the month, the former WEC welterweight champion would have a difficult road to travel back to a title shot.

With a batch of future contenders like Demian Maia, Rory MacDonald, Tyron Woodley and Tarec Saffiedine ready to make their move up the ladder, Condit would most likely have to win at least three bouts before earning another opportunity to compete for UFC gold.

When you include the high-profile bout between Jake Ellenberger and Nate Marquardt taking place on the card at UFC 158, the road for Condit to get back to the top could be a very difficult path to travel.

This makes the bout between Condit and Hendricks a high-risk/high-reward affair, and Condit has made a career out of his ability to step up in big moments.

Condit Possesses a Unique Set of Skills

There is little doubt Condit is one of the most versatile fighters in the welterweight division, but skill alone is hardly his greatest asset. The scrappy New Mexico native has a tremendous ability to remain dangerous at every point of the fight—a talent Condit has displayed on numerous occasions.

During his most recent bout with Georges St-Pierre at UFC 154 in November, Condit rebounded from an opening two rounds where he was battered on the canvas by the champion to nearly steal the victory with a brilliantly timed head kick in the third frame.

The well-placed strike dropped GSP to the canvas. But despite his best efforts to finish the welterweight king on the mat, St-Pierre was able to get back to his feet and recover.

Unfortunately, the damage done in the third round wasn’t enough to turn the tide. Condit came out on the losing end of a unanimous decision at UFC 154.

Nevertheless, he had the champion in more trouble than any other opponent had been able to manage in recent memory, and this has kept Condit near a title shot despite coming up short.

Coming back from a rough start is an ability Condit has shown time and time again. In his bout with Jake Ellenberger and his first throwdown with Rory MacDonald, Condit bounced back from early batterings to ultimately score the victory.

Hendricks is historically a very fast starter who likes to come out and establish his power from the get-go. For two of the last three opponents the 29-year-old has faced, that hammer left hand he carries was too much to overcome.

In a career that has carried over a decade, Condit has never been knocked out. His only losses in bouts that were stopped came by way of submission, but those are few and far between as Condit has only been tapped three times in 34 fights.

If Condit is able to weather the early storm Hendricks is sure to bring, the tide of the fight could turn in his favor. His ability to move in and out, all the while remaining accurate with his striking, has proven to be a difficult puzzle to solve. While Hendricks is heralded for his one-punch knockout power, Condit is no slouch in the one-shot kill department either.

With that in mind, a victory over Hendricks on Saturday night would catapult Condit directly back onto the championship doorstep. Should that win come in impressive fashion, it would be difficult to imagine Condit not being a lock for another shot at the title.

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Belfort and Bisping’s War of Words Highlights TRT Issue in MMA

It’s been nearly two months since Vitor Belfort landed the head kick on Michael Bisping that brought their fight at UFC on FX 7 to a close, but the animosity between the two continues to boil.The build-up to the fight saw the two middleweights in heate…

It’s been nearly two months since Vitor Belfort landed the head kick on Michael Bisping that brought their fight at UFC on FX 7 to a close, but the animosity between the two continues to boil.

The build-up to the fight saw the two middleweights in heated exchanges. But what has unraveled in the aftermath of their tilt has brought an interesting wrinkle in the situation to light.

Following the card in Brazil, it was revealed “The Phenom” had been granted a therapeutic-use exemption for testosterone replacement therapy leading up to his bout against Bisping. While “The Count” initially released a statement on his website making no excuses for the fight, the issue of Belfort’s testosterone usage in their bout is a “hot button” issue with the former TUF winner.

Fighters being granted exemptions for testosterone usage is becoming increasingly common in the world of mixed martial arts.

But what makes the 35-year-old Brazilian’s circumstance unique is that he had previously tested positive for steroid use in 2006, following his bout with Dan Henderson under the Pride Banner.

Most commissions operating inside the United States hold strict guidelines for fighters who have previously tested positive for banned substances being granted exemptions for testosterone usage. In Nevada, where Belfort failed his test in 2006, the commission operates under these rules and Keith Kizer, head of NSAC, recently spoke to Bleacher Report’s Damon Martin about the issue. Kizer stated:

I don’t see Vitor Belfort getting a TRT exemption from us. I really don’t and I feel kind of bad for him in some ways because if he has learned from his mistakes and now he’s trying to do it the right way and his levels are low with the treatment good for him and I hope he is doing that.

The rules are the rules and you have to draw the line somewhere.

But what exactly does this mean? If Kizer is saying Belfort can’t be approved in Nevada, a state where the UFC is based and frequently puts on high-profile cards, but the MMA legend is approved for usage in Brazil, does this mean Belfort is competing outside of the United States where his testosterone usage will still play?

While this hasn’t necessarily been proven to be the case, the dialogue surrounding the situation has continued. After Belfort posted a tweet aimed at Bisping today on Twitter, the outspoken Brit responded in kind (the tweet has since been deleted), suggesting he would like a rematch in Las Vegas, where Belfort would most likely not receive an exemption to use testosterone.

It would appear on some levels that Belfort competing in Brazil, where he will continued to be granted exemptions, is his way of staying outside the lines of the issue.

There is reason to believe otherwise of course, but with his next bout against Luke Rockhold at UFC on FX 8 once again taking place in Brazil, the conversation will remain on the table.

Following the bout becoming official, Rockhold spoke to Bleacher Report regarding the potential of Belfort using testosterone for their upcoming fight in May.

I think the TRT thing should be out in the open before fights and not after they end. I was also under the belief that if you’ve been caught with performance enhancing drugs in the past, there was no option for TRT…but ultimately it doesn’t matter to me.

I saw Ben Henderson’s statement about TRT and PEDs being a weakness and I feel the exact same way. I don’t really care. I’m going out there and I’m going to do what I do. I’m going to beat people whether they are on it or they are clean. I’m a clean fighter and I’m going to go out there and I am going to do my job. It doesn’t matter to me. Honestly I get more satisfaction beating people who are on the stuff.

The statement from Henderson that Rockhold is referring to came when the UFC lightweight champion shared his thoughts on the matter with Five Knuckles:

My thing with the whole steroid thing and whatnot — like, I understand part of a competitors nature is to take whatever edge, whatever advantage you can get to be the best. To that I just say if I’m facing a person – it happened in college wrestling, sadly it shouldn’t, but it happened in college wrestling, people on steroids and whatnot. But if I know someone is mentally weak enough to take steroids, ‘Oh, I need the extra edge, I need to do this’, and they know it’s illegal, they know it’s wrong and they do it.

If you’re so mentally weak that you have to take steroids, me, five-rounds in the cage with you? I will destroy you. Cause you are mentally weak. So I’m all for it, if you want to take drugs go ahead and take drugs. I don’t really care, but I’m going to whoop your butt because you are mentally weak and that’s where you win fights is in the mental stage. If you’re weak enough to break down, I’m going to kill you.

Henderson expanded his stance during a recent interview with MMA Fighting where he advocated the implementation of blood and random testing throughout the sport. “Bendo’s” statement came on the heels of UFC President Dana White‘s recent public stance on the matter.

In the post-fight press conference for UFC on Fuel TV 7, White told the media in London that the UFC was going to “test the sh**” out of fighters being granted exemptions, in order to make sure their levels were within legal boundaries in and out of fight camps.

It was an “about face” for White as he finally appeared to be taking the issue of testosterone usage to task—an issue which has continued to make headlines over the past year. Shortly after White made statements on the matter, noted TUE recipient Chael Sonnen spoke about the matter during his broadcasting role on Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight. The mercurial fighter told the show’s audience:

The testing has already started. I can tell you first-hand, I have already been tested since this announcement.

While White and Henderson are the two most recent figures to speak out on the matter, they certainly aren’t the first to bring the issue front and center

During his time as coach on Season 16 of The Ultimate Fighter, hammer-handed heavyweight Roy Nelson continuously spoke out on the PED in mixed martial arts. “Big Country” has invited all of his opponents and other fighters in the UFC fold to take place in VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency) testing to ensure everyone he faces inside the Octagon is competing on a level playing field.

It’s Nelson’s belief that everyone who steps inside the cage should be competing with their natural talents. And with his comments during a recent visit to Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour, it doesn’t look like the Las Vegas native will be backing down any time soon.

Personal Thoughts on the Matter

As fighters continue to speak out on the issue and the UFC begins to implement stricter testing, there is a chance the issue plaguing MMA will finally get wrangled under control. That being said, difficulties in the matter remain, and with fighters knowing they have a certain date to “get clean” or bring their levels into normal ranges, there are certainly windows to keep using PEDs.

It is my belief that not only should random testing implemented, but to a more severe degree. If a fighter is currently under contract with the UFC, fight scheduled or not, they should be subjected to testing at the whim of the organization. The promotion should be able to drop in at any time to make a fighter test, and if this were the case, I believe change would come.

If a fighter knew that at any time, someone from the UFC could swing by their gym and test them, it would be hard to imagine this culture not shifting. For those working in the industry, a fighter’s training schedule isn’t a difficult thing to obtain. If the UFC sent a team in to drug test randomly selected fighters, it would send a strong message to athletes competing in the sport.

By doing so, it would create the one key factor that is missing in this entire process…surprise.

Of course, some fighters know when they are going to be tested and still end up failing. But if a fighter had no idea when the test could occur, it would create an environment of suspense.

The debate on whether TRT is a PED will continue on, but the one thing White and Co. can agree on is the issue needs to be brought under control. It is going to take some aggressive moves for the UFC to police its large roster of fighters, but with all the hard work the UFC machine has put into becoming the most successful organization in mixed martial arts, I can’t imagine them pulling up short on this one.

It will only be a matter of time before some method is found to test the fighters effectively. I simply hope it comes sooner than later.

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UFC 158: Ellenberger Looking to Make a Statement, Put Stamp on Marquardt

There has been plenty of chaos for Jake Ellenberger heading into UFC 158.After Rory MacDonald’s injury led to “The Juggernaut’s” original opponent Johny Hendricks jumping into the co-main event to face Carlos Condit, the 27-year-old Omaha, Neb. native …

There has been plenty of chaos for Jake Ellenberger heading into UFC 158.

After Rory MacDonald’s injury led to “The Juggernaut’s” original opponent Johny Hendricks jumping into the co-main event to face Carlos Condit, the 27-year-old Omaha, Neb. native was forced to deal with a bout change in his final weeks of preparation.

In the aftermath of the shake-up, Ellenberger was vocal about his feelings on the matter. Nevertheless, once the UFC tapped former Strikeforce champion Nate Marquardt to fill the void opposite the Team Reign staple, the time for talk was over, and Ellenberger locked his focus on a new challenge ahead.

While the opponent standing across from him may be different, the fight at UFC 158 still carries a tremendous amount of importance for Ellenberger. The welterweight division is easily one of the most competitive under the UFC banner. While every fight is crucial in the greater sense, Ellenberger is looking to use his bout against Marquardt to put the divisional upper-tier on notice.

“I’m just staying focuse,” Ellenberger told Bleacher Report. “The opponent change hasn’t really bothered me in the sense that I just have to take care of business. That’s the number one priority. Nate has a different style but I’m staying focused on what I have to accomplish. It’s been a good, tough 10 weeks of camp and I’m excited to get in there.

“Competing on the biggest card of the year so far, and in Canada, is a great opportunity. I like that Marquardt comes to fight and he definitely is well rounded. But I’m focused on what I have to do and what I know I can do. I’m definitely excited to.

“Every fight is extremely important,” he added. “I have never really thought of one fight or one opponent more important than any other. But I’m really looking forward to making a statement and putting a stamp on the ending of this fight. I’m going to put a stamp on Marquardt’s forehead, that’s for sure.”

Over the past two years, Ellenberger has scrapped his way into the welterweight title picture, winning six of his seven outings during that stretch. The only setback on this run came against fellow contender Martin Kampmann last June at The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale in Las Vegas.

Ellenberger would bounce back into the win column in his next showing against Jay Hieron at UFC on FX 5 in October, and the victory over the Xtreme Couture product, put Ellenberger’s name back into the title conversation.

That being said, the role of a contender is a blurred picture these days, and the situation can present additional pressures. Rather than focus on what could potentially develop, Ellenberger chooses to put his attention on personal growth, and the decision has helped to eliminate the effects of things beyond his control:

“I don’t know if there will be any more pressure than usual,” Ellenberger said. “Everyone deals with fear and pressure a little differently. This is the toughest sport in the world. There is no sport that has a higher risk and a higher reward than mixed martial arts. In my mind, MMA is one of the hardest working sports.

“Consistency is an extremely hard thing to do in this sport. It is so much more unpredictable than say a wrestling match where there are only certain ways people way people can win. In a fight there are a lot more variables in MMA. Consistency is a difficult thing to produce and that has been one of my major focuses.

“I’m a very open minded person and I always try to find ways to stay innovative and be unpredictable. Everyone is extremely tough at this level and extremely skilled. You have to find parts about yourself that you can improve on. I’ve learned a lot about myself over this last year and really discovered ways that allow myself to grow.”

In a sport where it is easy to get lost in the hype of what could be, Ellenberger is willing to take his journey one step at a time. He understands the journey through mixed martial arts is a learning process. If the ability to grow and expand your abilities ceases, the exit door comes that much closer.

It is a set of consequences not lost on the heavy-handed welterweight fully, and the reason he’s willing to make the sacrifices required to keep chasing down his ultimate goal of becoming a UFC champion:

“I am definitely seeing the best version of myself these days,” Ellenberger said. “I don’t like to think about the title or when that is going to happen. I put all the focus on my growth. I’m definitely seeing improvements everyday and my coaches and trainers are seeing them more than I do. It’s a small part of things but it is definitely motivation for me to move forward. I don’t really pay a lot of attention or when that will come. If you keep winning and making statements along the way, it is going to happen.

“It’s funny because a lot of people feel they deserve this or that, but you don’t really deserve anything. You have to work hard and earn it. In the same sense, you can’t ever feel sorry for yourself. Nobody else does, and you can’t get stuck feeling sorry for yourself that things didn’t work out the way you wanted them to. For some people, that is a hard pill to swallow. I understand what it takes and I have no problem putting in the hard work to get there.”

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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After an Emotional 2012, Miller Carries New Focus into Bout with Mein at UFC 158

When your chosen profession is a career in mixed martial arts, adversity is commonplace. The rigors of training and challenges the opposition presents inside the cage are aspects of the sport a fighter can make adjustments to overcome.But there are som…

But there are some cases where the hardships that arise go beyond anything that can be prepared for, and wind up testing the very fabric of their beings.

After nearly a decade in the sport, there aren’t many things in the realm of confrontation Dan Miller hasn’t faced. The gritty New Jersey native has competed on the biggest stages in MMA, scrapping it out with some of the best fighters in his weight class in the process.

Over the course of his career, the 31-year-old has garnered a reputation for being the breed of fighter who isn’t afraid to lay it on the line, consistently giving all he has with every showing. A blue-collar work ethic and a love for the fight makes Miller a threat every time he steps into the cage, and win or lose, he is going to find out what the opposition is made of. That being said, Miller recently faced a challenge that took him to the wire and threatened to turn his world upside down.

In early 2010, Miller and his wife welcomed their son Daniel James Miller into the world. Daniel Jr. was born with a genetic kidney disorder (polycystic kidney disease) that required his admittance into intensive care shortly after his birth. The AMA-trained fighter did his best to balance family and career, but when his son’s condition worsened in late 2011, Miller stepped away from the cage without hesitation.

In September of last year, Daniel Jr. underwent a successful kidney transplant, and the rough waters Miller had been traveling for two years finally appeared to be ceasing. Another positive in the equation came three months earlier, when the elder of the Miller brothers made a successful return to the Octagon in his welterweight debut against Ricardo Funch at UFC on FX 4.

The victory was an emotional moment for the veteran fighter, as the wheels of his career returned to the track, and Miller brought a two-fight skid to a halt in front of a home state crowd in New Jersey.

“Getting that win was a great feeling,” Miller told Bleacher Report. “I was relieved to get the win and relieved to make the weight. I was able to keep the pace up and I felt strong. I was a little tired but it could have been the pace or the nerves. That was my first win at 170-pounds and it was a good feeling to get back on the winning track.

“With everything that we went through that year, it was just an emotional experience and felt really good to get my hand raised.”

With everything getting back to normal on all fronts, Miller set about preparing for the next challenge of his career. He will face highly-touted prospect Jordan Mein next weekend at UFC 158 in Montreal. The talented young Canadian has won eight of his last nine outings and garnered acclaim for the skills he has displayed at just 23 years of age.

While the “Young Gun’s” well-rounded attack presents some interesting problems to solve, the quieting of chaos in Miller’s life has brought of sense of calm that past training camps had been missing.

“I’m more at ease now,” Miller said. “With training and everything that goes fighting, what my son was going through was always in the back of my head. But seeing him do so well, I can now concentrate on other things and do what I need to do in the gym. Ever since the transplant he has been doing excellent, and him being home makes it a lot easier.

“Mein is a tough kid. He has a lot of experience and a lot of fights. He is well-rounded and I’m very excited to fight him. I think it’s going to be a tough fight and I’m looking forward to getting in there and mixing it up with him. It’s going to be a good fight at a face pace and I think we are going to get after each other right away.

“I go into every fight wanting to get the finish,” Miller added. “I don’t ever want to be known as a guy who goes in there to fight for a decision; I want to go in there and dominate. I try to do everything possible to accomplish that goal. Sometimes it doesn’t pay off for me, but it’s the way I’ve always fought.

“Even when I was wrestling I always went out to pin. I never went out to just win the match. I wanted to get the pin and be dominant. It’s just the way Jim and I were brought up and it’s just the way we are. I don’t go into every fight thinking about it. Always looking for the finish is the way I fight.

“Some guys are happy to get the win and that is all they care about. I understand that winning is everything, but to me personally, it is really exciting to finish somebody. That’s when I get pumped. I don’t get pumped up when I win a decision. It just doesn’t hit me the same way. That is what fuels me–finishing someone. I walk out of the ring and I want to get right back in immediately.”

The welterweight tilt between Miller and Mein takes place on a card that has become a showcase for the top 170-pound fighters on the UFC roster. While the pay-per-view portion of the card is stacked with the a collection of fighters battling to clear up the welterweight title picture, the rest of the card features several other fighters competing in the 170-pound weight class.

Miller believes this unique lineup presents the perfect opportunity to gain some traction in the division.

“It is definitely a chance for me to make a statement,” Miller said. “UFC 158 is a big welterweight card and there are a lot of guys who are potential opponents on the card as well. You go in there and get a good quality win and it kind of sets you up for a big fight next time around. It’s also good because there will be a lot of guys coming off the card on the same schedule. We will all have fought in March and we can all match-up down the road when everybody is ready. I think it’s a good card and I really want to make a statement in Montreal.”

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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UFC 158: Nick Diaz Is the Latest Villain in GSP’s Storied Career

In the aftermath of what turned out to be an epic pre-fight conference call for UFC 158, the stage is now set for the long-awaited showdown between welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and his latest nemesis, Nick Diaz.While the Stockton native can …

While the Stockton native can dispute his villain role in the promotional buildup of the bout, the simple truth of the matter remains. This title tilt is a classic “good guy versus bad guy” storyline.

In Diaz’s defense and personal opinions aside, there is no escaping how the pieces of this puzzle were put together.

From St-Pierre handpicking Diaz as his next opponent due to an apparent lack of respect shown by the former Strikeforce champion, to the posters and promotional spots the organization has put together to hype up the fight, the manner in which this story has been built follows a script that has been played out for ages.

Call it anything you want: Hero versus Villain, Yin against Yang, Benevolence versus Malevolence—any way you switch the moving parts around, Diaz is the antagonist in this tale of face-punching, mixed martial arts goodness.

The man who reps the 209 area code to the fullest has obvious disagreements with his portrayal in the matter at hand, but facts remain the same.

With the presentation GSP has created over his impressive career, the Montreal, Quebec, native needs a menacing force to sell the big fight. While the UFC is the leading organization in the fight business, the promotion is also very well-versed in the entertainment business as well.

While St-Pierre is one of the most dominant champions in the history of the UFC, a collection of his “biggest fights” have come when the clean-cut Canadian had an opponent of opposite measure in the realm of perception. Diaz may be the latest villain to bristle the welterweight champion, but he certainly isn’t the first.

Here is a look at the chapters St-Pierre has built up to this point.

To Become a Legend, You Must Defeat a Legend

The welterweight phenom made his UFC debut at 20 years old and got off to an impressive start. After defeating Jay Hieron and Karo Parisyan, “Rush” was on the fast track to championship gold. At the time of his ascension, the division was ruled by champion Matt Hughes, who was in the midst of a historic run in the 170-pound weight class.

Their paths would collide at UFC 50, and despite St-Pierre having success for the majority of the opening frame, a mistake in transition would lead to Hughes locking in a fight-ending armbar in the final seconds of the first round.

His loss to Hughes became a source of great motivation for St-Pierre as he set about his climb back to the top. The next five opponents would find themselves on the business end of St-Pierre’s determination, and with his split-decision victory over BJ. Penn at UFC 58, the Tri-Star product earned a shot at redemption.

During the process of his road back to a title shot, the grudge match between the two welterweights began to materialize. They crossed paths on Season 4 of The Ultimate Fighter, and the reality show’s cameras picked up the tension between the two fighters as Hughes repeatedly took aim at St-Pierre through attempted humor.

Their back-and-forth banter would provide a nice buildup to their rematch at UFC 65. St-Pierre was dead set on redemption, and in their second tussle, he needed less than two rounds to put Hughes away in dramatic fashion. The victory earned the Firas Zahabi-trained fighter his first taste of UFC gold as he overcame the first true obstacle of his career.

The Biggest Upset in MMA History Becomes a Catalyst for Greatness

As St-Pierre was basking in the glow of becoming a UFC champion, an unlikely foe was on the rise right under his nose. During St-Pierre’s coaching stint on TUF, veteran Matt Serra was attempting to fight his way back into the UFC fold.

When the Ray Longo-trained fighter edged out Chris Lytle in the Season 4 finale, he not only earned another run inside the Octagon but the opportunity to compete for St-Pierre’s welterweight title.

While many figured St-Pierre’s first title defense at UFC 69 would be a successful one, Serra had other plans. In what became the biggest upset in mixed martial arts history, “The Terror” scored a shocking first-round stoppage victory over the young champion as he pounded out St-Pierre in the opening frame.

In the aftermath of the upset, details emerged of St-Pierre’s lack of preparation for the bout. In a documentary titled The Striking Truth, the former champion admitted he did not take the challenge seriously. He vowed to never repeat the mistake and set about working his way back toward the title.

The opportunity would not come as quickly as he would have hoped. Serra struggled with multiple injuries, which delayed a rematch against St-Pierre. In the meantime, St-Pierre would score a victory over Josh Koscheck and best Hughes in their rubber match.

The win over the future Hall of Fame fighter earned St-Pierre the interim welterweight strap, but his true goal was to get another shot at Serra and the true welterweight crown.

With the rematch quickly approaching on the horizon, the New Yorker continued taking shots at St-Pierre’s French-Canadian heritage. In an interview with MMA Mania, Serra unloaded on the the former champion labeling him “Frenchy” and “a liar.”

Never one to hold his tongue, Serra also launched verbal slights at Canadians in general, which made their second fight at Montreal’s Bell Centre all the more combustible.

Things would play out much differently in their second go-around. St-Pierre wasted no time in putting Serra on the canvas and battering the 33-year-old with ground-and-pound. After a landslide opening frame, St-Pierre sealed the deal on his unification bid when he unleashed a series of brutal knees to Serra’s rib cage as the champion covered up on the mat.

The victory solidified St-Pierre’s standing as the top welterweight fighter on the planet. It also served to validate his renewed career focus, as he once again rose to the occasion.

A Fight is a Fight, But This One Was Personal

With his victory over Serra in the rematch at UFC 83, St-Pierre’s star power hit a new level. The shocking upset would be forever marked in the UFC history books, but the welterweight champion had done enough not only to put his career back on track but launch full steam ahead in the process.

After St-Pierre punished Jon Fitch for five rounds in his first title defense, it was unclear who the next challenger would be. One man looking to fill that role and get his own personal redemption was former welterweight champion turned lightweight juggernaut BJ Penn.

Their first bout was razor-thin, with Penn handing out a one-sided beating in the opening round. St-Pierre made the necessary adjustments over the next two rounds and ultimately came out on top on the judges’ scorecards.

Following the loss and a defeat in his next outing against Matt Hughes, “The Prodigy” dropped down to the lightweight division looking to make a career resurgence. The result was a dominant run in the 155-pound weight class—a run so impressive that Penn not only became the UFC lightweight champion but the widely recognized best 155-pound fighter on the planet.

But if one thing about Penn has become crystal clear over the years, it is that Hilo’s proudest son loves a good grudge match. Feeling he had unfinished business with the welterweight champion, Penn agreed to return to 170 pounds to face St-Pierre in a “clash of champions” at UFC 94.

The buildup to the rematch was epic as Penn used the platform of the UFC Primetime to unload a barrage of verbal assaults and threats in St-Pierre’s direction. Penn covered the full spectrum of insults as he accused the welterweight champion of steroid usage and insulted the Tri-Star leader by telling Zahabi to “go f*** himself.”

Penn’s insults put a hyper-charge into the bout at UFC 94, making the showdown one of the year’s most highly anticipated fights. Unfortunately for the former two-divisional champion, his words only served to elevate St-Pierre’s motivation. From the opening bell, GSP set about dismantling the undersized Hawaiian.

Over the four-round affair, St-Pierre pummeled Penn relentlessly, putting the lightweight champion on the canvas and unleashing a nonstop flow of ground-and-pound. By the end of the fourth round, Penn’s will to fight was broken, and his corner called a stop to the fight before the fifth frame began.

While Penn’s camp would file a complaint with the Nevada State Athletic Commission over St-Pierre’s alleged use of Vaseline to “grease” between rounds, NSAC took no official action on the matter.

“Grease Gate” certainly cast a cloud over St-Pierre’s dominant victory at UFC 94, but it provided yet another example of the Canadian champion’s ability to elevate his game when faced with an opponent who embraces the villain role.

Need a Villain? Call Josh Koscheck

The former NCAA Division I wrestling champion has never had a problem being the “bad guy” in the UFC fold, and his bristled approach was a perfect fit opposite St-Pierre.

Following a rough patch that saw the TUF alum in a pattern of “win one, lose one,” the Dethrone Base Camp leader finally found traction in the welterweight division as he put together an impressive three-fight win streak over Frank Trigg, Anthony Johnson and heavy-handed slugger Paul Daley.

The win over “Semtex” earned Koscheck the chance to face St-Pierre for the welterweight title. With the UFC knowing the type of buildup that can happen when a villain-type is involved, the organization booked St-Pierre and Koscheck for coaching roles on Season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter.

Over the course of the show, Koscheck did his best to get under St-Pierre’s skin. Despite putting in a solid effort, Koscheck’s attempts were easily dismissed, garnering nothing more than the occasional eye roll from the champion. St-Pierre shrugged off Koscheck’s barbs, knowing he would have the opportunity to settle things inside the Octagon.

When their rematch rolled around at UFC 124, the champion displayed a new tool in his skill set, using a stiff jab to stunt any offense Koscheck could muster. By the end of the first round, the No. 1 contender’s right eye was swollen from the damage absorbed, and it was a situation that only became worse as the fight went on.

The bout ultimately went to the scorecards, where St-Pierre earned a lopsided unanimous-decision victory. For his troubles, Koscheck not only notched a second loss at the hands of St-Pierre, but he suffered a broken orbital bone that would sideline him for a large portion of 2011.

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