During last night’s post-event press conference, Dana White announced that the UFC has parted ways with Mayhem. While the news isn’t exactly surprising in any way, it’s interesting that Dana White cites “some crazy shit” that took place backstage as the reason for Miller’s release. Before you begin to speculate, the incident was not a fight. As of right now, there are no other details on the incident.
I was about to write that Jason Miller’s UFC run has been forgettable, but honestly, it was much worse than that: His career in the UFC has been memorable for entirely the wrong reasons. He’s been little more than a class clown, insulting opponents during interviews and wearing ridiculous outfits only to get thoroughly dismantled in each of his appearances. He’s looked so bad throughout his UFC career that Dana White is on record claiming that he’s seen women in Tae Bo classes with better striking.
During last night’s post-event press conference, Dana White announced that the UFC has parted ways with Mayhem. While the news isn’t exactly surprising in any way, it’s interesting that Dana White cites “some crazy shit” that took place backstage as the reason for Miller’s release. Before you begin to speculate, the incident was not a fight. As of right now, there are no other details on the incident.
I was about to write that Jason Miller‘s UFC run has been forgettable, but honestly, it was much worse than that: His career in the UFC has been memorable for entirely the wrong reasons. He’s been little more than a class clown, insulting opponents during interviews and wearing ridiculous outfits only to get thoroughly dismantled in each of his appearances. He’s looked so bad throughout his UFC career that Dana White is on record claiming that he’s seen women in Tae Bo classes with better striking.
As for his final performance in the octagon against middleweight gatekeeper C.B. Dollaway, the less we say the better. It’s one thing when a smartass hack journalist jokes about changing the channel to a basketball game during your “fight”. It’s a whole different story when your boss tweets that your fight “SUCKED!!!!” before the crowd is even done booing. Injured knee or not, if Mayhem was looking to go out on a high note, he failed miserably.
Rarely one to shy away from expressing his thoughts, Dana White commented further on Mayhem’s final performance for the UFC during the press conference. “The thing is with Mayhem Miller, his last fight was embarrassing that he had with Michael Bisping after his season of The Ultimate Fighter,” said White. “Then he still comes out with pink shit on at the weigh-ins or whatever the hell he was wearing. The guy doesn’t take it serious and he looked it tonight.” Ouch.
So what do you think happens now for Jason Miller? Does he actually retire from MMA? Does he stick to crushing cans at local shows? Do you think Bellator takes a chance on him? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Although UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos was able to easily defend his title against Frank Mir in the main event of UFC 146, it was former champ Cain Velasquez who may have made the biggest statement of the night. Velasquez (10-1) faced…
Although UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos was able to easily defend his title against Frank Mir in the main event of UFC 146, it was former champ Cain Velasquez who may have made the biggest statement of the night.
Velasquez (10-1) faced off against former Strikeforce stand-out Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (16-4) in the co-main event of the night.
Although Silva came in with a size advantage, Velasquez proved once again that size does not always matter.
Within seconds of the bout, Velasquez had Silva on the ground.
From there the former champ put on a ground-and-pound clinic on Silva, cutting him so bad that blood was spraying from his head.
“It was a mauling by the former champion,” Joe Rogan said describing the fight. “He did everything perfect. There were no flaws in his performance, no flaws in his game plan.”
Velasquez came into this fight looking to make a statement after losing the UFC heavyweight title to dos Santos in just 64 seconds at UFC on Fox 1.
With the vicious victory, Velasquez may have positioned himself to get a rematch with dos Santos.
Silva, on the other hand, has now lost two straight, including a KO loss to Velasquez’s training partner Daniel Cormier.
Velasquez showed Silva no mercy and would without a doubt love a chance to avenge the only loss of his career and regain the heavyweight title.
If the Velasquez that showed up at UFC 146 meets dos Santos, their second bout could have a very different ending than their first.
Your winner, and still UFC Heavyweight champion, Junior “Cigano” dos Santos.Get used to hearing that, because the way things are looking, Junior dos Santos is going to be champion for a long time to come. Throughout his UFC career, dos Santos has absol…
Your winner, and still UFC Heavyweight champion, Junior “Cigano” dos Santos.
Get used to hearing that, because the way things are looking, Junior dos Santos is going to be champion for a long time to come. Throughout his UFC career, dos Santos has absolutely dominated every man put in front of him.
Here are four reasons why Junior dos Santos will be the champion for a long time to come.
Coming in to UFC 146, Edson Barboza was put on a pedestal. Veteran Jamie Varner kicked it out from under him.With an extravagant striking arsenal and a want to stand and trade, Barboza is a crowd-pleaser. The 26-year-old is still growing as a fighter, …
Coming in to UFC 146, Edson Barboza was put on a pedestal. Veteran Jamie Varner kicked it out from under him.
With an extravagant striking arsenal and a want to stand and trade, Barboza is a crowd-pleaser. The 26-year-old is still growing as a fighter, and the loss to the former WEC World Champion will help his growth.
Barboza’s next fight will serve to put him back on the winning track and inch him closer to the tall, tall ladder of the UFC’s Lightweight division.
The Brazilian already holds UFC wins over three tough lightweights, so there is no need to throw Barboza a sacrificial lamb. Let’s look ahead at five potential opponents that will get the fan favorite back in the 155-pound discussion.
Junior dos Santos is a walking, terrifying public relations smashing machine. Not only did he Babe Ruth it and fulfill his prediction of winning by 2nd round stoppage over former two-time champion Frank Mir Saturday night, but he also provided the best feel-good photo op of the year so far.
Junior trains out of Luis Carlos Dorea’s Champion Boxing gym in Brazil which, in addition to being headquarters for world-class fighters, is home to a vibrant youth boxing program. After training one day, the UFC Primetime cameras caught one of the little tikes hanging asking Junior to take him with him to the states for his title fight.
At the time, Junior said, “we’ll see.” But he ended up bringing the 9 year-old kid and his family to Vegas to watch him win. After beating Mir, he lifted the lucky young fighter onto his shoulders and posed for the cameras along with his coaches.
Dos Santos definitely appears to have the Wanderlei Silva nice guy/maniac fighter balance down pat. Try as I might, that image warms my cynical heart, and I don’t give a damn how orchestrated it may or may not have been. Who doesn’t like watching a kid’s dream come true before their eyes?
Junior dos Santos is a walking, terrifying public relations smashing machine. Not only did he Babe Ruth it and fulfill his prediction of winning by 2nd round stoppage over former two-time champion Frank Mir Saturday night, but he also provided the best feel-good photo op of the year so far.
Junior trains out of Luis Carlos Dorea’s Champion Boxing gym in Brazil which, in addition to being headquarters for world-class fighters, is home to a vibrant youth boxing program. After training one day, the UFC Primetime cameras caught one of the little tikes hanging asking Junior to take him with him to the states for his title fight.
At the time, Junior said, “we’ll see.” But he ended up bringing the 9 year-old kid and his family to Vegas to watch him win. After beating Mir, he lifted the lucky young fighter onto his shoulders and posed for the cameras along with his coaches.
Dos Santos definitely appears to have the Wanderlei Silva nice guy/maniac fighter balance down pat. Try as I might, that image warms my cynical heart, and I don’t give a damn how orchestrated it may or may not have been. Who doesn’t like watching a kid’s dream come true before their eyes?
Mir’s dream of becoming the second ever three-time UFC heavyweight champion came crashing down on him, however, when he could not drag dos Santos down to the mat. Mir eat huge hellacious shots to the dome in the latter part of the first and into the second, until the final hammer fist prompted the ref to step in and stop the action.
It has been easy for this writer to continually underestimate dos Santos in some of his biggest bouts on account of his “only” having his hands. What are the chances, I’ve often found myself thinking, that he can go a whole fight without getting put on his back? Well, so far, those chances are much less likely than the chances that his opponents can go an entire fight without being hit by him.
When dos Santos touches an opponent, they drop. That’s the way it goes, we’ve come to learn.
Who’s next for him? How about a rematch with the man he beat to win the title, Cain Velasquez?
Cain got back on the winning track by dominating and brutalizing Antonio Silva, stopping him in the first round with ground strikes. Cain made Silva bleed his own blood, a lot of it, with elbows and punches, and by the end of the brief bout he looked like he was trying out for a horror flick.
He was trying out for a title shot, and I think he earned it. The only guy I’d rather see get it next, his AKA teammate Daniel Cormier, will be out for a long time with a broken hand.
Yeah, Velasquez vs. dos Santos would be a rematch but so what? Elite fighters often hang around the top of divisions together and, if we’re lucky, we get to see the best of the best go at it over and again.
Cain lost quickly to dos Santos last fall, but before that he was unbeaten and devastated the, at the time, invincible-looking champion Brock Lesnar. Modern-day Antonio Silva only loses to the best guys out there, like Fabricio Werdum, Velasquez and Cormier, and recently dominated Fedor Emelianenko. Taking him out so impressively counts for a lot, and with the timing working out, it is time for dos Santos vs. Velasquez II.
Roy Nelson found the mark with his over hand right early and knocked Dave Herman silly. He went in to add to the punishment on the ground but thankfully the ref got in there fast and stopped it. Only way Nelson could have added to the damage would have been to eat Herman, and we all know he’s watching his boyish figure these days.
Dan Hardy showed why he was still employed after four-straight losses in beating solid veteran Duane Ludwig via first round TKO. Hardy always come in shape, always gives an entertaining fight and has only lost to the best in the welterweight division. It has to feel good for the “Outlaw” to finally get back in the win-column. Now he can go get high as a kite. Hardy joined Nelson as a “knockout of the night,” bonus check recipient.
To pull guard in MMA you have to either be suicidal or a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu boss. Paul Sass and Stefan Struve were the latter in securing submission wins off of their back at UFC 146. They shared “submission of the night,” honors. All bonus winners earned extra $70,000 checks. No “fight of the night” bonuses were given.
Jamie Varner showed why he is a former world champion by beating formerly unbeaten wrecking-ball Edson Barboza via TKO after taking the fight on short notice. Way to make a re-entry to the big leagues, Jamie. Perhaps the biggest underdog of the night, scored the huge upset.
Jason “Mayhem” Miller pleaded with the UFC to give him another fight in the organization after losing badly to Michael Bisping and he got one, against C.B. Dollaway. Miller fought well and lost a close decision to Dollaway. But still, looks like, he gone. Reports are that he pulled a stunt backstage after the fight that sealed his fate. Maybe he ran into Team Cesar Gracie.
One final note, Glover Teixeira looked great in his long-awaited UFC debut. He submitted Kyle Kingsbury with an arm-triangle choke in the first round. Is it too soon to want to see Glover against some of the best in the 205lb division?
The big boys know how to put on a big show. And at UFC 146, an event in which the main card was littered with intriguing heavyweight fights, the big boys once again came through in entertaining the fans. Of the five heavyweight fights, one en…
The big boys know how to put on a big show.
And at UFC 146, an event in which the main card was littered with intriguing heavyweight fights, the big boys once again came through in entertaining the fans.
Of the five heavyweight fights, one ended in a knockout, three ended in technical knockouts, and one ended in submission.
None went the distance.
For comparison’s sake, of the seven other fights on the night, three went to decision and only two ended with punches. Knockouts are what get the crowd off their feet, and that’s why the heavyweight division, despite the argument that the fights were too one-sided, continues to be the King of Excitement.
Let’s take a further look at the fights that made Joe Rogan giddiest.
Roy Nelson KO over Dave Herman
It only takes one.
Herman, who looked like Yao Ming compared to Nelson, was clearly trying to use his reach to his advantage.
And it worked brilliantly. For about 40 seconds.
Because Nelson just wound up and went for it with a big right hand. He landed it and absolutely floored Herman. And just like that it was over.
Some may not like fights that end that quickly, but it was the right decision by the referee to end it and there’s no question a punch like that is one of the most exciting things in sports.
Stefan Struve submits Lavar Johnson
It was clear what each man wanted to accomplish in this fight. Of Johnson’s 17 wins, 15 had come by knockout while Struve had won 16 of his 24 matches by submission.
If the fight went to the ground, Struve would win. If it stayed upright, Johnson would destroy the Dutchman.
Well, Struve got it to the ground, and from there it was over.
Unlike Nelson’s knockout, this one was fun to watch for two reasons. First, it was an incredibly smart fight by Struve, so that is refreshing to see. Second, the arm-bar he put on Johnson, for which he was awarded Submission of the Knight, was deadly.
Despite no knockout in this one, it was fun to see.
Cain Velasquez TKO over Antonio Silva
If seeing blood is your thing, then this was the fight for you.
Cain took Silva took the ground and it was over. Well, it was over after a couple of minutes of pure beating. Velasquez threw an array of huge punches and elbows.
The only break Silva got was when the fight was stopped so his cut could be checked out. When it was determined he could continue fighting, it was just another minute of pure domination.
This fight wasn’t close, but it was entertaining as all heck. And that’s all you can ask for from the big guys.
The big boys know how to put on a big show.