(via HBO Sports)
At this point, there are few jokes left to be made at the expense of Jason “Mayhem” Miller, whose downward spiral over the past five years has seen him arrested for several acts of assault and engage in a standoff with Los Angeles SWAT members (a standoff which he live-tweeted) among other crimes and misdemeanors. It’s been nothing short of heartbreaking to witness, and made all the worse by the knowledge that the path on which he is currently traveling seems destined to end in only the darkest of ways.
Yet despite the many, many warning signs Miller has given off in recent years, the former Strikeforce and UFC middleweight was inexplicably booked in a match against fellow UFC alum Luke Barnatt for Italian promotion VenatorFC this coming May – a story that was immediately undercut by Miller’s subsequent arrest for driving under the influence.
As you might expect, we are not about to deliver the news that Miller has made a miraculous recovery and has rededicated himself to the sport that made him such a notorious and likable personality to begin with. No, we’re here to tell you that “Mayhem” has been arrested YET AGAIN, and the best thing we can say is that thankfully no one was hurt.
Details after the jump.
According to FOX Sports (via TMZ), Miller was nabbed yet again by Orange County police following “an incident that took place in January where the former UFC middleweight allegedly vandalized a tattoo shop with graffiti.” Due to the apparently extensive nature of the damage he inflicted (and the fact that he was out on bail when he committed the crime in question), Miller is currently being held on a bail of 1 million goddamn dollars.
(Props: @SoozieCoozie)
One would imagine that this latest arrest will serve as the beginning and end of Miller’s expected return to the cage, but given how fiercely Venator FC president Frank Meranda defended Miller upon signing him, who knows what will happen to the former Strikeforce star.
What’s that? You say that you didn’t hear about Meranda’s defence? Well strap in for this one, Nation, because not only did the Venator president pen a (poorly-worded) press release condemning those of us who thought that putting Miller back in the cage was an inhumane cash grab as “idiots,” but he also personally took to Twitter to tell our buddy The Naked Gambler to “suck his dick.”
No joke. Here’s a sample of said press release:
Be fined (sic) does not make Miller a criminal to my eyes. I will not cancel any match for this reason. Indeed, I find it absolutely disgusting the some press rage against a person who is working hard in the gym to get back doing what he loves: Fighting in the cage.
For all the poor idiots who continue to speak of the mental condition of Miller. Miller is a born actor. These days he’s proving his qualities with never ending jokes on the internet and twitter. He was not “drunk” when he said Josh Barnett instead of Luke Barnatt. He is just doing with great skills his PR job, above all with no trash talk and without offending anyone as it’s quite normal in modern MMA, but with subtle irony, playing the character of “mental devastated” that every stupid in this world lightly gives to him without actually knowing him.
Jason Miller is not a saint. We do not defend what he has done wrong in the past. But we are happy and honored to give him the chance he deserves to show how the MMA can be a vehicle for the rebirth of a person.
For all who would like to see him alone and abandoned by everyone, I only have one word for you: be ashamed of yourself. I believe in Jason Miller. I’ll give this guy his chance.
Right, because we and the state of California have not given Miller enough chances already. The shame…it’s constricting my heart like a boa.
Venator has decided to opt for a less aggressive response this time around, though, writing on their official Facebook page that “Venator FC is aware of the situation involving Jason Miller” and “We take this matter seriously and we will act accordingly once we gather more information.”
“Act accordingly.” Oh, I can see Meranda’s statement now…
“In my eyes, spray-painting a tattoo shop does not make you a criminal. If it did, then Banksy would basicly be Hitler. Everyone knows that there are only two *real* crimes in this world: rape and murder. Jason Miller is not a saint, but he hasn’t committed either of those yet, so I c no reason why he shouldn’t be allowed to fight. In fact, we here at Venator FC our fully prepared to pay Miller’s legal fees, and think that all of you MMA media pussies should just shut the fuck up already and quit your bitching.
Suck my dick,
Frank Meranda”
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