Miller scooped a Baron low kick and dumped Baron to the mat, scrambling into full mount.

“It was there; so, I went for it,” said Baron.  “His hands were kind of high and his hips weren’t where they were supposed to be to defend the takedown.”

Baron was already exhausted and bloodied from the Miller onslaught in the first two rounds.

From the full mount, Miller landed pistons until Baron surrendered his back and Miller sank the choke.

Baron’s highlight was a slick sweep to top position at the end of round two, but he landed neatly into a Miller leg triangle attempt.

The “W” was Miller’s seventh consecutive since losing a decision to “The Answer” Frankie Edgar (9-1) at Reality Fighting 14 in Atlantic city in November 2006.

Baron debuted in the Octagon off of the biggest “W” of his career, a guillotine choke submission of “Mach” Hayato Sakurai (33-8-2) in Shooto in Tokyo 3 May.

“Count” Michael Bisping (16-1) 185 pounds v “Crippler” Chris Leben (18-4) 186 pounds

“I’m glad you guys let me into your country,” main event fighter Leben said at Thursday’s press conference.  “I was a little worried on the plane.”

Leben was originally scheduled to fight Bisping in London 7 June, but opted to put to rest legal issues in Oregon stemming from an earlier DUI arrest to ensure a legal UK visa.

But, the pressure is squarely on the shoulders of Brit Bisping, who told the press, “I am on a quest.  Losing this fight for me is not an option.”

Leben, wearing tight cornrows, chided his opponent, saying, “It seems to me that, when Michael Bisping fights, self-preservation is top on his list.”

A brawl would certainly benefit Leben.  Bisping’s stand-up style is a bit more circle-and-poke, while Leben is happy to plant and throw bombs.

“We’re going to be lettin’em fly!  We’re going to be having fun doin’ it,” Leben promised, which usually means they’ll knock their heads together shooting for takedowns at the opening bell.

But, let’s hope not.

Eighth-ranked “Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (13-4-1) 205 pounds v “The Truth” Brandon Vera (9-2) 203 pounds

At the pre-fight press conference Thursday, a very serious Vera turned to Jardine and challenged, “We’re going to be together for 15 minutes in the Octagon and I hope, I hope we get to find out a lot about each other before one of us goes to sleep.”

Jardine agreed, and quipped, “He’s got a real pretty style; and, me, I got a real awkward, real mean style.  So, it’s kind of going to be kind of like a beauty and the beast type thing.”

Jardine is coming off a 36-second knockout loss to seventh-ranked “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (32-81) in May; and, Vera made a disappointing debut at 205-pounds in a unanimous decision “W” over Reese Andy (7-2) in July.

Vera, a former heavyweight, summed up the meaning of the fight: “Me and Keith are both at a point in our career right now where we get either to take one huge step forward or end up taking two or three steps back.”

“Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (14-4) 169 pounds vs. “Tellys” Paul Kelly (7-0) 169 pounds

Davis will try to come back strong from a loss to “Quick” Mike Swick (12-2) in June versus Kelly, who Davis called “a brawler.”

Davis put down the weights for this fight in favor of getting back to his boxing background.

“I’m going to make-up for it in technique and speed.  Being able to fight off angles and stuff like that.  It might look like I’m right in front of him, but I’m actually not going to be right in front of him,” Davis said.

Kelly, of Wolfslair Academy, revealed, “You never know where it’s going to be.  It’s MMA.  You know?  I can’t guarantee I’m going to put Marcus on the mat.  We’ve worked on what we think he’s going to do.”

Ninth-ranked “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-2) 205 pounds v “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (8-1) 206 pounds

“Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-16-5) 170 pounds v “Relentless” Paul Taylor (9-3-1) 170 pounds

Akihiro Gono (28-12-7) 171 pounds v “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (19-6) 169 pounds

Shane Carwin (9-0) 264 pounds v “Old Skool” Neil Wain (4-0) 254 pounds

David Bielkheden (12-6) 156 pounds v “Joker” Jess Liaudin (12-10) 155 pounds

Terry Etim (10-2) 155 pounds v “Hands of Stone” Sam Stout (13-4-1) 155 pounds
 
David Baron (16-2) 155 pounds v Jim Miller (11-1) 155 pounds

“Dog” Samy Schiavo (10-5) 156 pounds v Per Eklund (13-3-1) 156 pounds

The organization also confirmed a lightweight match between between David Baron (16-2) and Jim Miller (11-1) at the same event.

Silva withdrew last week due to a back injury, and now Machida has also been removed completely from the card.

Machida told Tatame, “There’s no way to find an opponent now, and I’ll have to wait another event to fight.  I don’t know who I’ll face, UFC didn’t say anything yet, only that I won’t fight at UFC 89.  It’s sad because I was focused, training hard and prepared, but this kind of things happens.”

Machida most recently faced “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1), winning a unanimous decision at UFC 84 in May.

Shooto veteran Baron won his last fight via first-round guillotine choke over “Mach” Hayato Sakurai (32-8-2) in May.

Baron has not been defeated since Fighters.com’s second-ranked lightweight “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (29-3) caught him with a rear naked choke at PRIDE in 2008.

Miller last fought in the IFL, winning a unanimous decision over “Bartimus” Bart Palaszewski (29-11) in April.

Baron sank the death blow as “Mach” shot for a takedown.  The final tap touched the mat at 4:50 of the first round.

The “L” is Sakurai’s first since getting KO’d by third-ranked “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-3) in 2005.

Baron hasn’t lost since 2006, ironically to Gomi by rear naked choke submission.

The Shooto Tradition event also featured a 154-pound title fight between Takashi Nakakura (10-2-1) and Ganjo Tentsuku (9-3-2).

It was a hard-fought slog for both Japanese warriors, but the judges saw the fight 30-28, 30-29, 20-39 for Nakakura.

“Ironman” Akitoshi Tamura (12-6-2) ended a 143-pound war with Shooto vet “Moon Wolf” Rumina Sato (24-12-2) at 2:37 of round three with a north/south choke submission.

“Savant” Trenell Young (9-7), recently of the IFL, upset “Lion” Takeshi Inoue (14-3) by two-round UD scored 19-18 all around.

Fighters.com will post an interview with Young about his surprising Shooto debut this week.

123-pound Yasuhiro Urushitani (14-3-6) and Ryuichi Miki (6-2-3) fought to a majority draw, Urushitani’s second consecutive draw, and third draw in his last four fights.

Top 155-pound contender Yusuke Endo (11-2-1) submitted debuting vince Ortiz (0-1) in 3:34 of round one.

Frenchman Bendy Casimir (14-4-2) won a unanimous decision over “Torao Supernova” Shinji Sasaki (6-2) in another 155-pound contest.

Hayate Usui (9-6-1) won a majority decision over Sakae Kasuya (3-3-3).

“Shinpei” Noboru Tahara (4-2) cut Katsuya Murofushi (3-3), causing a stoppage by TKO :46 of round two.

Sakurai himself is a former Shooto World Champion and comes off a mauling of Hidetaka Monma (14-8-3) at DREAM.1 last month.

Baron fought last December, submitting Niek Tromp (4-2-2) by guillotine choke in the first round.

The fighters share a common opponent from their past.

Former PRIDE Lightweight Champion “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-3) iced Sakurai in the first round of 2005 PRIDE fight.

Gomi tapped Baron by rear naked choke eight-months later, also in PRIDE.