Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz Returns in January... Just Not Against Jason "Mayhem" Miller

What does the future hold for Nick Diaz? Now more than ever, more and more people are focusing on that question. Diaz now stands atop Strikeforce’s Welterweight division as the reigning Welterweight Champion, and recently avenged one of the bigger losses of his career when he defeated KJ Noons. Many people are clamoring to see Nick Diaz take on arch-rival and Middleweight fighter Jason Miller in a catchweight bout, but according to a recent press release, that’s not going to happen anytime soon. But fret not, Diaz fans: Diaz returns to the Strikeforce cage in January. Here are all the details.

The official website of Team Cesar Gracie, GracieFighter.com, recently released the following statement to the press: “Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller has opted to not take a fight with Nick Diaz in January at a catchweight of 178lbs. Despite having previously fought at the 170lbs weight limit, Miller now says that he is unwilling to meet at 178 and instead wants Strikeforce’s Welterweight Champion to move up to middleweight to fight him. Miller has stated he would be willing to lose 2 pounds and fight at 183lbs. As of yet Miller has defeated none of the top Strikeforce contenders but did win a fight on MTV’s Bully Beatdown show. Strikeforce will now be searching for a new opponent for Diaz for their January card.”

I honestly can’t say I’m surprised. I’m one of the many Diaz/Miller fans that eagerly want this fight to happen, but I know that there’s going to be a lot of work involved before this fight ever sees the light of day. The central issue here still seems to be the fact that these two compete at different weight classes. For his part, Jason Miller referred to himself as a “skeleton” at Welterweight and said that he was “emanciated [sic]” during the weight-cutting process. He even referred to his one-time drop to 170 as one of the dumbest things he’s ever done… and remember, this is Jason “Mayhem” Miller we’re talking about.

I also like the subtle jab that was taken at Miller concerning his show, Bully Beatdown. For my money, Bully Beatdown is relatively harmless fun, it’s a decent little show and a far cry from such reality TV travesties as “The Jersey Shore”. However, the fact does remain that Jason Miller actually hasn’t beaten anyone of relative note in Strikeforce. Miller is officially 1-1 in Strikeforce, with a TKO win over Tim Stout largely being overshadowed by the five-round outclassing he was handed courtesy of former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion and current UFC Welterweight Championship top contender Jake Shields.

Make no mistake, though, I want this fight to happen. I honestly think it’s the single-biggest non-Heavyweight fight Strikeforce could put on in the here and now. These two men are incredibly talented, incredibly notorious, both famous and infamous, and have a massive rivalry going. I just don’t think that Diaz is the one that should be making any concessions. Love him or hate him, Nick Diaz is the one that’s smashing faces and winning fights. He’s more active than Miller, and has beaten better opponents on a more frequent basis. As much as it’ll kill Miller’s ego, it’s “Mayhem” who should be the one willing to make the sacrifices in order to make this high-profile match come to fruition.

Of course, I’ll still be looking forward to seeing Nick Diaz compete in January. Nick Diaz is still Nick Diaz, and I’m officially now a member of the Diaz bandwagon. No matter who his opponent is, I can’t wait to see him continue his quest to become one of the best Welterweights in the world. But what about you, fans and friends? Are you looking forward to Diaz’s next fight, or is it “Mayhem or bust”?