(Well, at least Miller’s training for what awaits him in prison.)
If you ever find yourself in a heated discussion about the American justice system, look no further than the case of Jason “Mayhem” Miller as proof that it might be in need of some retooling. The former Strikeforce/UFC fighter has been arrested no less than half a dozen times in the past couple of years for various degrees of assault (some on women, others on police officers) and yet continue to roam free from the only cage he actually belongs in: a jail cell or padded room. It’s a statistical anomaly, really.
But because MMA promoters do not care one bit about the wellbeing of their fighters, it was announced a couple days back that Miller would be returning from his self-imposed retirement/exile/whatever to take on Luke Barnatt at Venator FC III in Milan, Italy on May 21st. It was, in a word, saddening.
Even more saddening, as it turns out, is what Miller did immediately after booking the fight…(via MMAFighting):
The troubled Miller was arrested the morning of Feb. 7 in Irvine, Calif. for suspicion of driving under the influence, according to Orange County public arrest records. He was released later that day and is due to appear in a local court on March 7.
According to a report published on TMZ.com, because of Miller’s past history of violence toward law enforcement, approximately 15 police officers and a K9 unit were on hand for his arrest in Irvine, although there was no physical confrontation this time.
The cherry on top of this shit sundae? The video below, wherein a drunken Miller fails to recall the name of the man he is supposed to being facing while announcing the damn fight.
“I have to announce, I’m gonna fight again,” says a visibly inebriated Miller, whose voice sounds like he’s been huffing inhalants non-stop from the moment he finished taping his segment for Real Sports.
“I’m fighting Josh Barnett…for the the title of…Venator FC or PC of LMNOP. Catch wrestling is nothing compared to monkey Jiu-Jitsu.” It only gets worse from there.
Come to think of it, this video was more than likely shot directly before Miller was arrested, which gives you a little insight as to the kind of people he has allowed to drag him from the bright lights of the UFC into the deepest, darkest cesspool of humanity (looking at you, guy in Superman shirt).
The recent arrest and mental state of his opponent aside, Barnatt seems to be under the influence that this is a fight we should care about, and has already taken to Instagram for a little preemptive trash talk.
Eesh, talk about kicking a guy while he’s down.
Honestly, we don’t even know who to be more disappointed in, Venator for booking this fight or Barnatt or accepting it. We get that a paycheck is a paycheck, but shouldn’t the line be drawn when it comes to fighting the mentally unstable? Miller has been spending more time in a jail cell than anywhere else since his last fight — which was in 2012, for what it’s worth — and if the video above is any indication, we’re going to assume that he’s all but completely withdrawn from training. The likelihood of “Mayhem” making it to this fight or even making weight for it are slim-to-none, so what can Barnatt possibly expect to gain from this fight (except maybe Hep C)?
We’d like to think that the fight will be scrapped in light of Miller’s arrest and/or this video, but who are we kidding? Bellator has probably already promised the winner a contract. To recap how everyone involved in this story should feel:
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