UFC 145 marked the end of a lengthy break between major events for the promotion, and May 5 will mark the return of the UFC to mainstream consciousness when they broadcast on FOX for the first time since January.
Nate Diaz and Jim Miller will enter the cage in Newark, New Jersey, as they headline UFC on FOX 3 in a lightweight title eliminator. Dana White has said the man who wins is likely to meet Benson Henderson or Frankie Edgar some time later in 2012.
The question is: Does that man deserve a shot at gold?
It’s actually proven to be more contentious than people realize.
In one corner, there’ll be Miller, an impressive 21-3 in his career and 10-2 in the UFC. His losses have only come to Henderson, Edgar and Gray Maynard—the other three men with him in the top four of his division.
Across from him will be Diaz, a polarizing warrior who is often under appreciated at lightweight because he’s not everyone’s favorite guy outside of the cage. Still, he’s 8-3 at 155 pounds in the UFC, and two of his three losses were hotly contested decisions that resulted in highly questionable losses.
He could easily be 10-1 and already have a title shot in his rear view mirror, but instead he’s on his way to Jersey to try and earn his first crack at gold.
Even so, some people are arguing that both men haven’t done enough to warrant a shot at the title. Miller’s loss to Henderson is less than a year old, and he’s only won one fight since. Diaz has only been back at 155 for two fights after a hiatus to welterweight.
In a division that’s so deep, there are arguments for a bunch of other guys who have been in the mix for a while.
Here’s the issue, though: None of those other guys have sprung up and grabbed the bull by the horns.
Maynard had two title shots in a row and couldn’t secure a win. Clay Guida lost to Henderson in his last outing and will match Maynard next time out. Anthony Pettis had some play, but couldn’t use a win over Joe Lauzon to springboard himself into a shot at gold. He’s elected for surgery while he waits things out in the division.
After those three, who else is there?
Nobody, really.
Miller, later revealed to be ill in his first meeting with Henderson, is as tough as they come and has repeatedly shown that he’ll beat anyone in the division who isn’t a champion. We don’t know yet if that carries over to title fights because he hasn’t yet had that chance.
Diaz is a born fighter and a handful for anyone at lightweight. He’s only been outwrestled at 155—never really beaten and broken—and though he lost to Maynard, there were few who felt it was overly convincing. After his decisive beatdown of Donald Cerrone—a man most had pegged to use Diaz as a launching pad for a title shot—he thrust himself right back into the thick of things.
So why not let these two go at it, and give the winner a shot at gold?
The beauty of a division that’s so deep is that there are plenty of credible threats for a title shot, and there are lots of roads to travel to get there. This isn’t boxing, where anything less than 40-0 isn’t worthy. Jim Miller and Nate Diaz are as deserving as anyone, even if they’ve taken unconventional paths to get there.
UFC on FOX 3 is exciting for a host of reasons, but Miller/Diaz is the biggest. It’s a lock to be a war, and it will also give the world a top contender in a division that presently needs one. Opinions to the contrary notwithstanding, it’s hard to hate that.
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