In the two months since Scott Coker displaced Bjorn Rebney as the President of Bellator MMA, the former Strikeforce boss hasn’t exactly been shy about reuniting with some acquaintances from his earlier days.
Coker, a promoter who’s always held the entertainment side of the sport in high regard, moved quickly to ink deals with old Strikeforce fan-favorites Paul Daley and Melvin Manhoef, plus secure the services of former Strikeforce matchmaker Rich Chou. And when asked on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Coker appeared receptive to bringing another colorful name from his past into the Bellator fold: Jason “Mayhem” Miller.
“That takes me right back to the CBS events. Boy, I’m starting to shake over here,” Coker said at the mention of Miller’s name.
“You know, I’ll tell you, it’s worth a conversation, because everybody deserves to have a second chance. He’s a great fighter, believe me. I just hope he’s okay. And if he’s okay, then we can take a more serious step. But the first step would be, you know, is he okay? That’s really what it comes down to.”
Miller (28-9, 1 NC) fought twice for Coker under the Strikeforce banner between 2009-2010, first falling short in a title shot against Jake Shields then rebounding with a first-round TKO victory over Tim Stout.
Most infamously, the controversial middleweight played an integral role in the brawl that marred the end of Strikeforce Nashville, the promotion’s second and final fight card to air nationally on CBS. Following the conclusion of Shields’ victory over Dan Henderson, Miller intruded upon the in-cage post-fight interview to request a rematch against Shields, which resulted in a melee between Miller and several members of the Cesar Gracie fight team, including Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, and Nick and Nate Diaz.
Now 33 years old and inactive since mid-2012, Miller most recently compiled a 0-2 record inside the UFC before being unceremoniously cut from the promotion.
He briefly announced his retirement from mixed martial arts following his release, and was arrested twice between August 2012 and August 2013, first on suspicion of burglary of a church in California, then on domestic abuse charges. Charges for the former incident were eventually dropped, and Miller has since expressed a desire to return to competition.