Jason “Mayhem” Miller walks into UFC 146 as a man who is out to justify his identity as a UFC performer inside of the Octagon.
In his last fight that took place against Michael “The Count” Bisping on The Ultimate Fighter Finale featured main …
Jason “Mayhem” Miller walks into UFC 146 as a man who is out to justify his identity as a UFC performer inside of the Octagon.
In his last fight that took place against Michael “The Count” Bisping on The Ultimate Fighter Finale featured main event. Miller came out and seemingly performed as he said he would, dominating the first round against the Brit. What followed was somewhat of a complete shocker: a fatigued and exhausted Mayhem Miller getting picked apart by a pouncing Michael Bisping until the bout was stopped in Round 3.
Needless to say, that has left a bad taste in Miller’s mouth and there is only one cure—redemption.
Embarrassed, angered, and wanting to prove that he is indeed a top-level performer, Jason Miller has taken all the necessary steps to right his wrongs.
Revamping his entire training camp and endurance program and conforming to a diet designed by Krzysztof Soszynski, Miller looks to be in the best physical shape of his career.
Not only does he look in great shape, he appears focused and determined to make short work of C.B. Dollaway in order to erase any doubts or question marks that anyone might have labeled upon him.
In more simpler terms, Mayhem isn’t going into this fight with any intention of losing.
Miller seems to be very confident heading into UFC 146, and he should be. A veteran of 36 contests with a record of 27-8-0-1 NC, Mayhem is the more seasoned fighter.
Confidence is especially important in a case where possibly two men enter and one man leaves. This isn’t only on simple terms as a winner and a loser, since quite possibly the latter will be released from any future UFC obligations.
Miller is a slight favorite heading into this contest, but with his preparation and focused mentality, don’t look for him to be playing any games on Saturday night. Mayhem is determined to make a statement to Dana White and the entire UFC Middleweight division.
(A class act since the day he was born, Dolloway always takes time out of his day to pose for photos with his adoring fans.)
When I first came across this tidbit of hilarity that Jason Miller told UFC.com during a recent interview, I considering starting this article with some hackneyed statement like “You gotta love Jason Miller,” or “Leave it to Mayhem to-insert stupid sentence here.” But then I paused for a moment, and decided to rewatch his match with Michael Bisping at the TUF 14 Finale. When it was airing live, I happened to be in staying in Boston at a friend’s house, and missed the fight due to an intensely heated game of beer pong that followed an Animals as Leadersconcert we had just attended.
After the game had finished, I quickly shuffled into the living room, wide eyed and silently praying to be greeted by the image of Bisping’s unconscious, purple face. But I was too late. The broadcast had ended. I turned to another buddy of mine, and like a coma patient (or a victim of an H-bomb) being awoken for the first time, I found myself asking, “What happened?” He looked up at me, bitter disappointment in his eyes, and said, “I’m not really sure, but it was really sad. Like watching a rabbit die in slow motion.”
The point is, after talking up such a storm and subsequently getting his ass taken to the cleaners by “The Count,” Miller has more than likely earned the ire of at least a few dozen of you. Kind of like that poor Danga bastard. And once again, it’s do or die time for Mayhem, and here he is, falling back on his old habits. I’m not trying to sound negative, because I think the guy is a pretty entertaining fellow. I just wonder if he’s going to regret saying things like this again:
I just look at who he’s fought in the past, and I look at — you know — I look at who he’s fought in the past, and how I match up with them, and I know that… this should be an easy night for me. On top of that, I trained my ass off. I’m not gonna make this a personal thing with the guy, but at the same time, I’m not gonna pretend to respect him.
There’s a stark contrast between me and him. You can see that I’m mentally tough, and I’m a bit of a masochist, so I’ll take the abuse, and go through it. When the going gets tough, this guy quits, and I’m gonna make him quit. I’m going to knock his fart-face off, and I’m going to send him packing. There’s no way around it.
Ah fuck it, I’m back on the bandwagon.
(A class act since the day he was born, Dolloway always takes time out of his day to pose for photos with his adoring fans.)
When I first came across this tidbit of hilarity that Jason Miller told UFC.com during a recent interview, I considering starting this article with some hackneyed statement like “You gotta love Jason Miller,” or “Leave it to Mayhem to-insert stupid sentence here.” But then I paused for a moment, and decided to rewatch his match with Michael Bisping at the TUF 14 Finale. When it was airing live, I happened to be in staying in Boston at a friend’s house, and missed the fight due to an intensely heated game of beer pong that followed an Animals as Leadersconcert we had just attended.
After the game had finished, I quickly shuffled into the living room, wide eyed and silently praying to be greeted by the image of Bisping’s unconscious, purple face. But I was too late. The broadcast had ended. I turned to another buddy of mine, and like a coma patient (or a victim of an H-bomb) being awoken for the first time, I found myself asking, “What happened?” He looked up at me, bitter disappointment in his eyes, and said, “I’m not really sure, but it was really sad. Like watching a rabbit die in slow motion.”
The point is, after talking up such a storm and subsequently getting his ass taken to the cleaners by “The Count,” Miller has more than likely earned the ire of at least a few dozen of you. Kind of like that poor Danga bastard. And once again, it’s do or die time for Mayhem, and here he is, falling back on his old habits. I’m not trying to sound negative, because I think the guy is a pretty entertaining fellow. I just wonder if he’s going to regret saying things like this again:
I just look at who he’s fought in the past, and I look at — you know — I look at who he’s fought in the past, and how I match up with them, and I know that… this should be an easy night for me. On top of that, I trained my ass off. I’m not gonna make this a personal thing with the guy, but at the same time, I’m not gonna pretend to respect him.
There’s a stark contrast between me and him. You can see that I’m mentally tough, and I’m a bit of a masochist, so I’ll take the abuse, and go through it. When the going gets tough, this guy quits, and I’m gonna make him quit. I’m going to knock his fart-face off, and I’m going to send him packing. There’s no way around it.
Ah fuck it, I’m back on the bandwagon. This statement is awesome for two reasons, the first being that it may be the first time since elementary school that I’ve heard the term “fart-face” used by anybody. The other reason it tickles my funny bone is because, more or less, Miller talks like he’s going to knock C.B. Dollaway out. Considering how horrendous his striking looked against Bisping, and I do mean horrendous, making a statement like that is the best bit of trolling I’ve seen since….well, yesterday. It’s like claiming you will pull off a Kickflip Mctwist in Tony Hawk Pro Skater after biffing a 50-50 grind down a common handrail.
If Dollaway’s previous fights have taught us anything, it’s that he’s got a pretty decent offensive ground game (ask Joe Doerksen or Jesse Taylor) but seems to be lacking defensively (ask Amir Sadollah. Also, Amir Sadollah.). So by, “knock his fart-face off,” I imagine Miller means something more like, “grapple with him until I get ahold of his douchey neck,” but I could be wrong. In either case, you gotta imagine we’re looking a loser-leaves-town matchup, which always adds interest to an otherwise mediocre fight. Miller was lucky to even get a second chance after his aforementioned crash-and burn against Bisping, and has stated himself that he will retire if he loses to Dollaway, who has dropped his past two fights to Mark Munoz and Jared Hamman, and is probable to get the boot with a loss as well.
But I’ll give Miller this, the man owns up to his words, even when they threaten to choke him. When asked about his loss to Bisping, Miller was incredibly genuine and frank when assessing his performance.
Nobody cares about your excuses. The point is get in there and do it right, you know? I threw that fight away, and it was my fault. I’m not going to cry about it — I’m going to look forward, and win the fight on the 26th.
Everybody likes to kick a guy when he’s down, but I don’t give a damn. If I’m man enough to stand in front of my mom and the rest of the world and get my ass kicked, I think I’m strong enough to take some criticism from a guy who never laced on some gloves.
I told (Dana) if I put on a show like that again, I’m quitting. That was ridiculous. That wasn’t me out there; that wasn’t me. I threw that fight away, and so it’s up to me to go ahead and really make a statement on the 26th. The best thing that ever happened to me is me getting beat up by Michael Bisping because I’ve approached my entire career in a completely different light.
Let’s hope so, because Miller seems like a decent enough person in my eyes, and I’d hate to see his UFC hopes and dreams dashed before he can even get a win under his belt. I also just don’t want to see him fall back on Bully Beatdown again if he gets ousted, because that show is fucking garbage.
So what do you think, Potato Nation? Will we be seeing the last of Mayhem in the UFC come May 26th, or will Launchpad McQuack pilot his final mission?
(“Trust me, this is gonna be the craziest elimination round in the history of the show.”)
The UFC announced yesterday that they will soon begin production of a new season of The Ultimate Fighter that will be shot and aired in Australia, and will pit an Aussie team against a team from the United Kingdom. According to the press release:
The Australian series, dubbed The Smashes™ — a play on the 130 year-old cricket rivalry — will see undiscovered professional MMA fighters from Australia and the United Kingdom live together in The Ultimate Fighter House in Australia and compete against each other for a prized UFC contract. This is only the second time in TUF’s seven-year history that teams will represent their country of origin, the first taking place in 2009, during the ninth series, as Team USA took on Team UK.
‘Australia and the UK have a fierce, long-standing rivalry, and where better to settle the score than in the UFC’s Octagon,’ said Marshall Zelaznik, UFC’s Managing Director of International Development.
(“Trust me, this is gonna be the craziest elimination round in the history of the show.”)
The UFC announced yesterday that they will soon begin production of a new season of The Ultimate Fighter that will be shot and aired in Australia, and will pit an Aussie team against a team from the United Kingdom. According to the press release:
The Australian series, dubbed The Smashes™ — a play on the 130 year-old cricket rivalry — will see undiscovered professional MMA fighters from Australia and the United Kingdom live together in The Ultimate Fighter House in Australia and compete against each other for a prized UFC contract. This is only the second time in TUF’s seven-year history that teams will represent their country of origin, the first taking place in 2009, during the ninth series, as Team USA took on Team UK.
‘Australia and the UK have a fierce, long-standing rivalry, and where better to settle the score than in the UFC’s Octagon,’ said Marshall Zelaznik, UFC’s Managing Director of International Development.
The UFC is now accepting applications from fighters who want to be on the next international season of TUF, which follows the ongoing Brazil season coached by rivals Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort. We’re guessing you either have to be British, Australian or do a damn good fake accent from one of those places to be considered for The Smashes. Aspiring Australian fighters should go here for registration forms, rules and qualification criteria. UK fighters should go here.
There are live tryouts scheduled for June 12 in Sydney and June 15 in London, which will be open to fighters ranging in weight from 61kg to 77kg (bantamweight to welterweight, basically). If you’re trying out, bonne chance, as they say in Australia. We’d love to see a Tater Nation member getting after it on whatever more-rugged version of television that Australia has. So who would you like to see coach these guys? Our vote is for Michael Bisping vs. that chin-in-eye dude…
Just a couple of hours ago, the UFC held a press conference in Shaw Court, Alberta, Canada, to promote UFC 149: Jose Aldo vs. Some Guy (it’s a joke, take it easy), which is expected to transpire on July 21st from Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Surprisingly absent from the conference was that of UFC President Dana White, who was in turn replaced by Director of Operations for UFC Canada, Tom Wright. Also absent was a hearty supply of French fries and gravy for the fighters involved, which was a real shame in our opinion.
In the co-main event of the evening, the most hated wanted man in the middleweight division, Michael Bisping, will square off against hard nosed slugger Tim Boetsch. Also expected for UFC 149 will be Antonio Rodrigo’s Nogueria’s return to the octagon for the first time since Frank Mir went all Paul Harris on his arm, the difference between their UFC 140 scrap and the average Paul Harris fight being that Nog waited until after Mir broke his arm to tap, not the other way around. Anyway, Big Nog will be squaring off against the inconsistent but always dangerous Cheick Kongo, who is coming off a knockout loss at the hands of Mark Hunt at UFC 144.
Check out the full video and lineup after the jump.
Just a couple of hours ago, the UFC held a press conference in Shaw Court, Alberta, Canada, to promote UFC 149: Jose Aldo vs. Some Guy (it’s a joke, take it easy), which is expected to transpire on July 21st from Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Surprisingly absent from the conference was that of UFC President Dana White, who was in turn replaced by Director of Operations for UFC Canada, Tom Wright. Also absent was a hearty supply of French fries and gravy for the fighters involved, which was a real shame in our opinion.
In the co-main event of the evening, the most hated wanted man in the middleweight division, Michael Bisping, will square off against hard nosed slugger Tim Boetsch. Also expected for UFC 149 will be Antonio Rodrigo’s Nogueria’s return to the octagon for the first time since Frank Mir went all Paul Harris on his arm, the difference between their UFC 140 scrap and the average Paul Harris fight being that Nog waited until after Mir broke his arm to tap, not the other way around. Anyway, Big Nog will be squaring off against the inconsistent but always dangerous Cheick Kongo, who is coming off a knockout loss at the hands of Mark Hunt at UFC 144.
Check out the full video and lineup below.
UFC 149 Lineup
Champ Jose Aldo vs. Erik Koch (for featherweight title)
Just three days ago, Alan Belcher was fed to the lions. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but like those who choose to stay in Omelas, the Zuffa head-honchos knew that a sacrifice had to be made for the good of the community. For if the insatiable beast known as “Toquinho” was not fed his daily quotient of appendages, theirs would surely be next. So they sent forth the only American brave enough to tattoo Kim Jong-il on his arm to narfle the Garthok, so to speak. But like the mighty Beldar Conehead before him, Alan Belcher emerged from the monstrosity’s repugnant dwelling unscathed, and earned a lifetime supply of free wishes for doing so.
At least that’s how “The Talent” sees it, because when asked on who he’d like to face next (if a title shot was out of the question, of course) Belcher was rather adamant about his options, telling the following to BloodyElbow’s Steph Daniels:
I think a fight with Michael Bisping makes a lot of sense. I mean, Boetsch looks like a beast at 185, and I’ve got to admit, he looks pretty scary. The other guys in the division, in my mind, I’ve already beat them so many times, and I know everything about them, and I know they don’t have anything really threatening. Boetsch has got some pretty powerful tools, and is a pretty scary dude.
Bisping, of course, is getting to be a professional point fighter, and he’s kind of hard to beat like that. That fight would be a nice payday, and a big fight for the media, so I’m kind of leaning towards that one. It would make sense, and the fans would love it. I can almost feel the energy I would get from the fans if I put him to sleep.
Join us after the jump for much more from the interview.
(WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY SPRAY TAN?!)
Just three days ago, Alan Belcher was fed to the lions. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but like those who choose to stay in Omelas, the Zuffa head-honchos knew that a sacrifice had to be made for the good of the community. For if the insatiable beast known as “Toquinho” was not fed his daily quotient of appendages, theirs would surely be next. So they sent forth the only American brave enough to tattoo Kim Jong-il on his arm to narfle the Garthok, so to speak. But like the mighty Beldar Conehead before him, Alan Belcher emerged from the monstrosity’s repugnant dwelling unscathed, and earned a lifetime supply of free wishes for doing so.
At least that’s how “The Talent” sees it, because when asked on who he’d like to face next (if a title shot was out of the question, of course) Belcher was rather adamant about his options, telling the following to BloodyElbow’s Steph Daniels:
I think a fight with Michael Bisping makes a lot of sense. I mean, Boetsch looks like a beast at 185, and I’ve got to admit, he looks pretty scary. The other guys in the division, in my mind, I’ve already beat them so many times, and I know everything about them, and I know they don’t have anything really threatening. Boetsch has got some pretty powerful tools, and is a pretty scary dude.
Bisping, of course, is getting to be a professional point fighter, and he’s kind of hard to beat like that. That fight would be a nice payday, and a big fight for the media, so I’m kind of leaning towards that one. It would make sense, and the fans would love it. I can almost feel the energy I would get from the fans if I put him to sleep.
For the record, we’re not counting either of the men who coached opposite Bisping on his TUF gigs, even though one of those led to the most satisfying beatdowns of all time.
But believe it or not, Belcher’s desire to fight Bisping is not the result of some backstage incident where Bisping managed to get under his skin, as is usually the case, but rather out of general disdain for “The Count”:
No, nothing personal. I don’t know what to think about him. I can already kind of feel the kind of smack talking that he would be doing, and I think that he just honestly believes that he’s better than he is. I don’t think he respects me or considers me to be one of the top guys. It would feel good to beat him, but I don’t want to let those type of personal emotions get in the way of what’s really important, and that’s competing for the world championship and winning.
Belcher was also quick to point out that, although he was successful, it wasn’t exactly his gameplan to stick his foot in the bear trap that is Rousimar Palhares:
I knew that I would shock some people. It wasn’t my intention to get into a grappling match with him. A lot of people thought that was my intent going in, and that the media sort of pushed me into it, trying to prove something, but that was surely not the case at all.
I knew I would be able to handle myself if he got me in a situation. I was prepared, and I’d been training with some of the best guys that do that kind of thing. I was probably kind of psyching myself up a little too much, and I was expecting some kind of super powers or super strength, but it was a lot easier once I actually got in there.
I knew that it was going to take some real tight mental preparation to beat somebody like this. I recognized that it was my time, not only in my career, in the title picture, but it was my time in the fight to finish him and make a big splash, and I think that’s what I did.
I think people will think twice about taking me down. Now they know I can grapple with the best of them. It was pretty nice watching him try to squirm out of the twister position, and out of all those submissions I was trying to throw on him. It was the highlight of the fight for me. I was pretty proud of it.
In a way, Belcher’s performance last Saturday night reminded me a lot of The Hurt Locker. “The Talent” showed incredible patience and precision when wiggling his way out of Palhares’ attacks, which impede one’s walking ability to the same degree as stepping on a landmine, if you think about it. And not only did he manage to avoid Palhares’ death grip, he attempted a twister and even a banana split at one point, I believe, all on one of the best Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the game.
All I’m saying is, if Alan Belcher is asking for anything or anyone in terms of matchups, he’s earned it, don’t you think?
UFC title shots don’t grow on trees. No one knows that better than middleweight contender Michael “The Count” Bisping. Bisping has been chasing a title shot since winning The Ultimate Fighter 3 back in 2006. Since dropping to t…
UFC title shots don’t grow on trees. No one knows that better than middleweight contender Michael “The Count” Bisping.
Bisping has been chasing a title shot since winning The Ultimate Fighter 3 back in 2006. Since dropping to the 185-pound division, “The Count” has compiled an impressive 8-3 record.
However, with losses to Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen sandwiched between his victories, a shot at UFC gold has eluded the British fighter.
Still though, Bisping feels as though he’s paid his dues through his time slugging it out against the best in the world for the past six years.
That’s why it upset him when Dana White recently indicated that if the newly acquired Hector Lombard can get past Brian Stann in his Octagon debut, he may earn a title shot.
According to Bisping, Lombard is unworthy because he spent his career beating up nobodies.
It does piss me off a little bit, you know? I’ve been slugging away in the UFC for six years now, fighting the best guys in the world and just because Hector Lombard’s been knocking out little part-time fighters who probably hold down jobs full-time and he’s been knocking out people that I haven’t got a clue who they are, I haven’t even heard of them, you know, while I’ve been knocking out the best fighters in the world and fighting the best consistently for six years and he’s going to come in from knocking out John the baker from around the corner and you know, he gets a title shot?
Theatrics and exaggerations aside, it’s difficult to argue with Bisping here.
Lombard may very well be as good as his hype. We simply don’t know. His stunning record of 31-2-1-1 is padded with a “Who’s That?” catalog of opponents.
The only times the Olympic Judoka has ever competed in a major promotion, he lost to Akihiro Gono and Gegard Mousasi in Pride—the same year that Bisping won The Ultimate Fighter 3.
Since then, Lombard has been on a statistically brilliant 24-fight win streak, but he hasn’t fought anyone in even the top 20.
So is it fair that Lombard can spend his career fighting low- to mid-level opponents and then walk into the UFC and get a title shot after only a single win? Probably not.
Does it matter? Heck, no.
Hector Lombard is an unknown commodity to casual UFC fans. That allows them to sell him as a legitimate title challenger and if he can beat Brian Stann, then that’s all the validation they need.
The Cuban-born Lombard is a beast. He’ll be an easy sell with his record and his highlight reel of devastating knockouts—at least to the fans who don’t know or care that he has never defeated a top-shelf fighter.
Fighters like Michael Bisping, who have been with the UFC for years, may view situations like this as unfair, but the UFC needs a constant stream of sellable contenders to keep the divisions fresh and interesting.
Bisping had his chance to earn a title shot back in January. He lost to Chael Sonnen. So it’s not as if he hasn’t had his own opportunities.
With a couple good wins, Bisping will get to the title again. In the meanwhile though, there’s nothing wrong with keeping things moving along with new challengers.
Jason “Mayhem” Miller walks into UFC 146 as a man who is out to justify his identity as a UFC performer inside of the Octagon.
