At UFC on FOX 3, Nate Diaz and Jim Miller are slated to lock horns for a chance to move further up the lightweight rankings. However, neither fighter deserves a shot at UFC gold, even with this win on his record. That honor should be bestowed upon Anthony “Showtime” Pettis.
That said, with UFC President Dana White recently suggesting a title tilt is in the offing should Diaz triumph, that just might be the case; however, that’s not so for Miller, as one or two more wins is the requisite number to challenge for the 155-pound crown.
Still, regardless of what the promotion’s supremo has voiced, the Diaz thumbs up is the wrong decision to make.
Miller (21-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) for sure shouldn’t even get a sniff at the title right now—he had the opportunity to vie for the belt, but came unstuck against current 155-pound title-holder Benson Henderson, thus scuppering his immediate championship aspirations. And despite defeating Melvin Guillard, succeeding in derailing Diaz, too, still doesn’t justify a title shot.
Conversely, I believe if Diaz (15-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC), who is currently riding a two-fight win streak with victories over Takanori Gomi and Donald Cerrone, defeats Miller, one more win will suffice for the lightweight Holy Grail.
Prior to the aforementioned successes, the Stockton, Calif., native was 0-2, losing to Kim Dong-Hyun and Rory McDonald.
Now, Pettis (15 -2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) defeated Henderson to capture the WEC lightweight title, and even though he lost on his UFC debut to Clay Guida, he quickly rectified that with wins against Jeremy Stephens and Joe Lauzon.
If any of the top-10-ranked fighters in that weight class deserve a shot at the winner of Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar, Showtime is the man.
Diaz or Miller for the championship is a non-starter.
For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com