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'Mayhem' Miller Says Fight With Nick Diaz Was Almost Signed Last Week
Jason "Mayhem" Miller has spent the better part of the last year campaigning for a fight with Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz. Now it seems as if that door may be closing for good.
"We almost had the fight together," Miller told MMA Fighting on Wednesday.
Almost, but not quite.
After getting ganged up on by Diaz and his teammates on live network TV in April, the goal of getting Diaz alone in the cage seemed to nearly consume the "Bully Beatdown" star. He printed t-shirts, started a website, and did countless interviews all about how badly he wanted the fight. Now that Strikeforce has decided to match his nemesis up with Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos instead, Miller can't help but feel a little disappointed.
"I figured that maybe if I made enough noise about it, it would come to fruition," Miller said. "I knew that one of two things was going to happen. Either I was going to get the fight with Diaz and expose him, show that he's not some damn unstoppable, pitter-pat punching tank, but just some dude who can get beat up. Or, the other option, I was going to expose him for what he is, which is a guy who picks favorable fights constantly."
According to Miller, the rivalry bout with Diaz nearly became a reality last Saturday. Miller, who competes at 185 pounds, had offered to meet Diaz at a catchweight of 181 pounds. Though Diaz fought at 180 pounds as recently as 2009, he wouldn't go any higher than 178 pounds this time, Miller said.
"We said 181, but they wouldn't take it," said Miller, who added that cutting the extra three pounds would have left him "completely dried out."
"They know that," Miller said, "and that's what they want. They want me to be totally emaciated to make the weight. Meanwhile, he's calling out Anderson Silva to make himself look tough."
While the Diaz camp has claimed that there isn't anything to be gained by fighting Miller, "Mayhem" has countered that the opportunity to settle their longstanding dispute while picking up a paycheck in the process should be incentive enough.
"You jumped me on TV," Miller said. "It's a damn storyline that's real. This isn't manufactured drama. This isn't The Ultimate Fighter TV show. It's real. I'm disappointed the fight didn't happen, but whatever. Honestly, I was being selfish. I was picking a fight that I think I can win, and that he thinks he can win. And we both dislike each other, so that always makes for a fantastic fight."
Now that Diaz appears to be moving on to defend his welterweight title against Santos in January, Miller said he expects to fight on Strikeforce's next event, which is also rumored to include Fedor Emelianenko.
While Miller said no opponent has been mentioned as of yet, he's trying to force himself to finally abandon the idea of getting a shot at Diaz.
"For now, I'm over it. We watched the massive 'Nick-tuck' and that's that. That's the Nick-tuck. That will be forever etched in there, and if he ever fights up a weight class we're all going to have a good laugh about how he ducked 'Mayhem'. That's the long and short of it and every Gracie Jiu-Jitsu website can paint how they want, but we all watched it in real time. We saw it unfold. I'm not concerned about it any more. I chased him around enough."
As for where his career might go from here, Miller said he heard the recent comments from UFC president Dana White, who said the company might potentially be interested in re-acquiring Miller at some point in the future.
And while that's nice to hear from such an influential person in the MMA world, Miller said, it's unclear whether he regards it as anything more than an idle compliment.
"I heard that, and along with getting my black belt from Fabricio Werdum, I appreciate that because it validates my mixed martial arts career," said Miller. "Dana White constantly looks at the best fighters in world, so for him to say that validates my existence as a fighter. So I appreciate that, but at this time I'm contractually obligated [to Strikeforce]."
Jason "Mayhem" Miller has spent the better part of the last year campaigning for a fight with Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz. Now it seems as if that door may be closing for good.
"We almost had the fight together," Miller told MMA Fighting on Wednesday.
Almost, but not quite.
After getting ganged up on by Diaz and his teammates on live network TV in April, the goal of getting Diaz alone in the cage seemed to nearly consume the "Bully Beatdown" star. He printed t-shirts, started a website, and did countless interviews all about how badly he wanted the fight. Now that Strikeforce has decided to match his nemesis up with Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos instead, Miller can't help but feel a little disappointed.
"I figured that maybe if I made enough noise about it, it would come to fruition," Miller said. "I knew that one of two things was going to happen. Either I was going to get the fight with Diaz and expose him, show that he's not some damn unstoppable, pitter-pat punching tank, but just some dude who can get beat up. Or, the other option, I was going to expose him for what he is, which is a guy who picks favorable fights constantly."
According to Miller, the rivalry bout with Diaz nearly became a reality last Saturday. Miller, who competes at 185 pounds, had offered to meet Diaz at a catchweight of 181 pounds. Though Diaz fought at 180 pounds as recently as 2009, he wouldn't go any higher than 178 pounds this time, Miller said.
"We said 181, but they wouldn't take it," said Miller, who added that cutting the extra three pounds would have left him "completely dried out."
"They know that," Miller said, "and that's what they want. They want me to be totally emaciated to make the weight. Meanwhile, he's calling out Anderson Silva to make himself look tough."
While the Diaz camp has claimed that there isn't anything to be gained by fighting Miller, "Mayhem" has countered that the opportunity to settle their longstanding dispute while picking up a paycheck in the process should be incentive enough.
"You jumped me on TV," Miller said. "It's a damn storyline that's real. This isn't manufactured drama. This isn't The Ultimate Fighter TV show. It's real. I'm disappointed the fight didn't happen, but whatever. Honestly, I was being selfish. I was picking a fight that I think I can win, and that he thinks he can win. And we both dislike each other, so that always makes for a fantastic fight."
Now that Diaz appears to be moving on to defend his welterweight title against Santos in January, Miller said he expects to fight on Strikeforce's next event, which is also rumored to include Fedor Emelianenko.
While Miller said no opponent has been mentioned as of yet, he's trying to force himself to finally abandon the idea of getting a shot at Diaz.
"For now, I'm over it. We watched the massive 'Nick-tuck' and that's that. That's the Nick-tuck. That will be forever etched in there, and if he ever fights up a weight class we're all going to have a good laugh about how he ducked 'Mayhem'. That's the long and short of it and every Gracie Jiu-Jitsu website can paint how they want, but we all watched it in real time. We saw it unfold. I'm not concerned about it any more. I chased him around enough."
As for where his career might go from here, Miller said he heard the recent comments from UFC president Dana White, who said the company might potentially be interested in re-acquiring Miller at some point in the future.
And while that's nice to hear from such an influential person in the MMA world, Miller said, it's unclear whether he regards it as anything more than an idle compliment.
"I heard that, and along with getting my black belt from Fabricio Werdum, I appreciate that because it validates my mixed martial arts career," said Miller. "Dana White constantly looks at the best fighters in world, so for him to say that validates my existence as a fighter. So I appreciate that, but at this time I'm contractually obligated [to Strikeforce]."
Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz signs multi-year contract extension
Strikeforce welterweight champion and potential free agent Nick Diaz (23-7 MMA, 4-0 SF) will not test the open market.
Strikeforce officials today announced that the popular and sometimes controversial Diaz has signed a new multi-year agreement with Strikeforce.
"I'm looking forward to continuing my career with Strikeforce," Diaz stated in today's release.
Exact terms of the new contract were not revealed.
Diaz debuted for Strikeforce in the main event of the April 2009 event "Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz." Diaz earned a second-round TKO over Shamrock, and the California native hasn't looked back since.
Diaz has ripped through Strikeforce's welterweight division with one-sided wins over K.J. Noons and Scott Smith, and he's also handled a Lithuanian import in Marius Zaromskis, as well as a trip to Japan to face Hayato "Mach" Sakurai.
Diaz has earned eight straight wins overall, and many MMA pundits had wondered aloud if the Strikeforce welterweight champ might take his services elsewhere. Diaz said he's happy with the quality of opposition Strikeforce has been able to schedule for him.
"When I first got here, there weren't a lot of great 170-pound fighters for me to fight, but that's definitely changed," Diaz stated. "There's a lot of really good fighters in the division now, and I'm ready to fight anyone who thinks they can beat me."
Diaz's next fight is in the main event of January's "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg" event, where he'll face Brazilian striker Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos.
Strikeforce welterweight champion and potential free agent Nick Diaz (23-7 MMA, 4-0 SF) will not test the open market.
Strikeforce officials today announced that the popular and sometimes controversial Diaz has signed a new multi-year agreement with Strikeforce.
"I'm looking forward to continuing my career with Strikeforce," Diaz stated in today's release.
Exact terms of the new contract were not revealed.
Diaz debuted for Strikeforce in the main event of the April 2009 event "Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz." Diaz earned a second-round TKO over Shamrock, and the California native hasn't looked back since.
Diaz has ripped through Strikeforce's welterweight division with one-sided wins over K.J. Noons and Scott Smith, and he's also handled a Lithuanian import in Marius Zaromskis, as well as a trip to Japan to face Hayato "Mach" Sakurai.
Diaz has earned eight straight wins overall, and many MMA pundits had wondered aloud if the Strikeforce welterweight champ might take his services elsewhere. Diaz said he's happy with the quality of opposition Strikeforce has been able to schedule for him.
"When I first got here, there weren't a lot of great 170-pound fighters for me to fight, but that's definitely changed," Diaz stated. "There's a lot of really good fighters in the division now, and I'm ready to fight anyone who thinks they can beat me."
Diaz's next fight is in the main event of January's "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg" event, where he'll face Brazilian striker Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos.
Brendan Schaub gets Mirko Filipovic instead of Frank Mir at UFC 128
A sudden switch in opponents has installed Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (27-8-2 MMA, 4-4 UFC) in a main-card match with Brendan Schaub (7-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at UFC 128.
Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that verbal agreements are in place for the heavyweight contest and contracts are nearly finalized. "Fighters Only" first reported the pairing.
Although not officially announced by the promotion, UFC 128 takes place March 19 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
The event is expected to feature a light-heavyweight headliner between champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and former champ Rashad Evans.
Schaub tentatively was slotted for an early-2011 fight with former champion Frank Mir before the matchup was scratched in favor of a meeting with Stefan Struve at the New Jersey pay-per-view event.
Then, for reasons unknown, that pairing gave way to a scrap with "Cro Cop," sources told MMAjunkie.com.
The shuffle still is good news for Schaub, who passionately expressed his desire to face Mir after he recently extended his win streak to three with a dominant decision win over former contender Gabriel Gonzaga in October at UFC 121.
"No one cares if you're beating up the fat wrestlers all the time," he told MMAjunkie.com Radio. "To go in there and do a war with a guy like Frank Mir – win, lose, or draw, that's what this is about.
"You don't want to look back on your career and be like, 'Oh yeah, Brendan beat up that out-of-shape wrestler. That was awesome.' My kids watching the tape (would be) like, 'Dad, are you serious?'"
Although Filipovic's age and recent record suggest a fighter on the tail end of a career, he provides the name recognition Schaub needs for a bid at the title.
Meanwhile, it's a pivotal fight for the former PRIDE open-weight grand-prix champion, who was knocked out badly by Mir at UFC 119 in the final moments of a three-round snoozer.
Filipovic, whose participation in the September fight was jeopardized by an accidental eye-poke in training, gave no illusions that he was under-prepared for Mir and said he took it out of a duty to fans, not to mention a handsome offer from the UFC.
After a 14-year career in combat sports, he could not guarantee he would be around much longer.
"I always tell people ... it could be any fight," Filipovic said of his retirement. "I tell them it could be the last one. This is a hard sport, (and) this is a brutal sport, and any new injury – especially because I turned 36 a few days ago – would definitely take me out of competition. In my age, with my experience (and) so many fights on my back, it would be hard to start over again (with) some rehabilitation."
It appears for now, though, that "Cro Cop" is not ready to call it quits. In fact, the often-surly fighter has shown a lighter side in his most recent appearances, and prior to the Mir loss, he triumphantly submitted Pat Barry in June at UFC 115.
But a loss to an up-and-comer could speed his exit from MMA.
A sudden switch in opponents has installed Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (27-8-2 MMA, 4-4 UFC) in a main-card match with Brendan Schaub (7-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at UFC 128.
Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that verbal agreements are in place for the heavyweight contest and contracts are nearly finalized. "Fighters Only" first reported the pairing.
Although not officially announced by the promotion, UFC 128 takes place March 19 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
The event is expected to feature a light-heavyweight headliner between champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and former champ Rashad Evans.
Schaub tentatively was slotted for an early-2011 fight with former champion Frank Mir before the matchup was scratched in favor of a meeting with Stefan Struve at the New Jersey pay-per-view event.
Then, for reasons unknown, that pairing gave way to a scrap with "Cro Cop," sources told MMAjunkie.com.
The shuffle still is good news for Schaub, who passionately expressed his desire to face Mir after he recently extended his win streak to three with a dominant decision win over former contender Gabriel Gonzaga in October at UFC 121.
"No one cares if you're beating up the fat wrestlers all the time," he told MMAjunkie.com Radio. "To go in there and do a war with a guy like Frank Mir – win, lose, or draw, that's what this is about.
"You don't want to look back on your career and be like, 'Oh yeah, Brendan beat up that out-of-shape wrestler. That was awesome.' My kids watching the tape (would be) like, 'Dad, are you serious?'"
Although Filipovic's age and recent record suggest a fighter on the tail end of a career, he provides the name recognition Schaub needs for a bid at the title.
Meanwhile, it's a pivotal fight for the former PRIDE open-weight grand-prix champion, who was knocked out badly by Mir at UFC 119 in the final moments of a three-round snoozer.
Filipovic, whose participation in the September fight was jeopardized by an accidental eye-poke in training, gave no illusions that he was under-prepared for Mir and said he took it out of a duty to fans, not to mention a handsome offer from the UFC.
After a 14-year career in combat sports, he could not guarantee he would be around much longer.
"I always tell people ... it could be any fight," Filipovic said of his retirement. "I tell them it could be the last one. This is a hard sport, (and) this is a brutal sport, and any new injury – especially because I turned 36 a few days ago – would definitely take me out of competition. In my age, with my experience (and) so many fights on my back, it would be hard to start over again (with) some rehabilitation."
It appears for now, though, that "Cro Cop" is not ready to call it quits. In fact, the often-surly fighter has shown a lighter side in his most recent appearances, and prior to the Mir loss, he triumphantly submitted Pat Barry in June at UFC 115.
But a loss to an up-and-comer could speed his exit from MMA.
Ex-WEC champs Urijah Faber and Eddie Wineland expected to meet at UFC 128
A battle between former WEC champs is brewing for the UFC's third trip to New Jersey.
Urijah Faber (24-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC), once tops in the featherweight class before his reinvention as a bantamweight, is expected to meet Eddie Wineland (18-6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the first-ever 135-pound champion, at UFC 128.
Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that at least one fighter has agreed to the planned matchup, which was first reported by MMAFighting.com.
Although not officially announced by the promotion, UFC 128 takes place March 19 at the Prudential Center in Newark and is expected to feature a light-heavyweight headliner between champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and former champ Rashad Evans.
The bantamweight bout marks the UFC debut of Faber and Wineland, who were both victorious in their final obligations to the WEC before the promotion officially ceded its talent to the industry leader.
Faber met former contender Takeya Mizugaki at WEC 52 in his first bout as a bantamweight and cinched a first-round rear-naked choke that won him "Submission of the Night" honors.
Wineland slammed his way out of the WEC with an ode to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson earlier this month in the promotion's final event, WEC 53. Newcomer Ken Stone made the unwise move of pulling a standing guard on the Indiana native in the first round of their preliminary-card meeting and found himself violently introduced to the canvas and knocked out.
The sensational finish capped off a four-fight streak for Wineland, who became the first WEC bantamweight champion when he knocked out Antonio Banuelos for the belt at WEC 20. (He subsequently lost the strap to Chase Beebe when he returned the next year to the Zuffa-owned promotion.)
Faber vs. Wineland is likely to take place on UFC 128's televised main card, though its placement could not be confirmed at the time of this writing.
A battle between former WEC champs is brewing for the UFC's third trip to New Jersey.
Urijah Faber (24-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC), once tops in the featherweight class before his reinvention as a bantamweight, is expected to meet Eddie Wineland (18-6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the first-ever 135-pound champion, at UFC 128.
Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that at least one fighter has agreed to the planned matchup, which was first reported by MMAFighting.com.
Although not officially announced by the promotion, UFC 128 takes place March 19 at the Prudential Center in Newark and is expected to feature a light-heavyweight headliner between champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and former champ Rashad Evans.
The bantamweight bout marks the UFC debut of Faber and Wineland, who were both victorious in their final obligations to the WEC before the promotion officially ceded its talent to the industry leader.
Faber met former contender Takeya Mizugaki at WEC 52 in his first bout as a bantamweight and cinched a first-round rear-naked choke that won him "Submission of the Night" honors.
Wineland slammed his way out of the WEC with an ode to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson earlier this month in the promotion's final event, WEC 53. Newcomer Ken Stone made the unwise move of pulling a standing guard on the Indiana native in the first round of their preliminary-card meeting and found himself violently introduced to the canvas and knocked out.
The sensational finish capped off a four-fight streak for Wineland, who became the first WEC bantamweight champion when he knocked out Antonio Banuelos for the belt at WEC 20. (He subsequently lost the strap to Chase Beebe when he returned the next year to the Zuffa-owned promotion.)
Faber vs. Wineland is likely to take place on UFC 128's televised main card, though its placement could not be confirmed at the time of this writing.
