The full video interview can be seen here, and here’s the quote of the day: “I’m going to beat his ass. It’s not hard to pick on Michael. Everyone hates that guy. Since Osama bin Laden’s been dead, he’s enemy number one in America.”

I’ve got to say, fans and friends… that’s pretty low, even for Jason Miller.

Now, I won’t go launching into a tirade about Miller comparing Michael Bisping to the world’s most notorious terrorist… simply because I think that would be in bad taste. Almost as bad as (you guessed it) comparing the fighter you’re about to face to the world’s most notorious terrorist.

Then again, I’ve come to expect all this and more from Jason Miller. The man has never met an opponent he didn’t love to trash-talk. People love him for it, and a huge amount of people also hate him for it. To be honest, I’ve followed Miller for so long now that nothing he says really phases me anymore. I chalk it up to pre-fight hype and move along.

But should I, this time? Did Miller cross a line by referencing Osama? I’m honestly not quite sure.

But if we’re in store for more interviews like this, I can say one thing: Michael Bisping is going to end up hating Jason Miller more than he ever hated Jorge Rivera. And we all know how that fight turned out.

And if you’re wondering: I’d consider myself a semi-fan of Michael Bisping. I think it’s very interesting that such a gigantic double-standard is always applied to Bisping whenever he fights. The UFC is filled with cocky loudmouths, but Bisping is near-universally loathed while all the other brash fighters have their fair share of supporters. People still blast Bisping’s illegal knee on Jorge Rivera even while continuing to laugh at Dan Henderson nailing a flying punch on an unconscious Michael Bisping. People say that Bisping hasn’t beaten anybody and that he’s trash, when in fact he’s beaten a lot of good fighters in his time and has only been properly stopped one single time in his career, with the other two fights being very close wars.

If push came to shove, even though I like Jason Miller I’d consider myself more of a fan of Michael Bisping. And to all the true “Mayhem Monkeys” out there, I can only urge you: don’t count out “The Count”. Michael Bisping has been in the UFC for many years, and his UFC record stands at 11-3. Jason Miller hasn’t fought in a major US promotion since 2010, he hasn’t fought a legitimate top-division fighter since 2009, and he’ll be fighting Michael Bisping after being out of action for over a year.

As good at trash talking as he is (and he’s one of the best), I have to wonder how effectively Miller will back it all up in the cage against Bisping.

5. No “wild card” fights this season could lead to some interesting new dynamics.

The reason this entry starts us out is because I’ve got some conflicting emotions on this. I think a “wild card” fight really livens up the TUF competition, it’s a breath of fresh air that has led to some very entertaining drama and quite a few Cinderella stories. However, with no “wild card” fight comes the added emphasis on each and every fight, because each and every fight can and will be a fighter’s last. With no “wild card” safety net, we could see some great preliminary-round fights.

4. Michael Bisping as a TUF coach.

The last time Michael Bisping was a TUF coach, he followed the grand tradition of all the best “bad boy” TUF coaches: he got on just about everyone’s nerves, but he put together a great team and you honestly felt that he cared about them. Much like Tito Ortiz’s notable runs on “The Ultimate Fighter”, you can hate Bisping all you want, but you can’t argue with results. Overall, I really enjoyed the last time Bisping was a coach and I’m very interested in seeing what he does this season.

3. The return of the “fight to get into the house” rule.

TUF Season 13 was plagued with problems, and the abandonment of the “fight to get into the house” rule stood at the forefront of those problems because the fight quality in the earlier episodes was downright bad. Even some of the episodes later on in the season were barely passable. With this rule, we get to see the weak further cut from the group in addition to the typical TUF casting process that we never really do get a chance to see. Fighting in the TUF house is a high privilege, so I’m all in favor of having fighters jump through more hoops in order to find their way on the show. The great fighters will find their way inside the TUF house no matter what, so this is a great idea that’s not only returning, but becoming a permanent rule from now on.

2. Jason Miller as a TUF coach.

Oh boy… where to start with Jason Miller? The man’s very controversial and highly dividing, so I’ll say this: underneath the spastic craziness and the silly hair and the mannerisms and the hilarious-but-polarizing interviews… underneath all that, Jason Miller is a good fighter. And what little footage I’ve seen leads me to believe that he’s also a good coach. A coaching role is exactly the type of role Miller needs in order to not only shine, but to re-introduce himself to UFC fans that may only remember his first UFC run in passing and/or think of him simply as “that MTV guy”.

And the number-one reason to look forward to “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 is…

1. A cast made up solely of Bantamweight and Featherweight fighters.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is going to be one of those big “coming out” moments for the lighter-weight fighters. Even today, a lot of lighter-weight fighters face an unfair stigma that they’re boring or untalented fighters. Nothing could be further from the truth, and it’s that label that motivates many lighter-weight fighters to put on amazing fights. I think we’re going to see great fights from the first episode onward, and if this season lives up to its potential, this could be one of the greatest seasons of TUF ever, based solely on its fight quality. And that’s definitely a big reason to get pumped.

The news hit several sources around the internet during the last several days, and as expected, MMA Junkie recently confirmed that Miller’s coaching duties has caused him to pull out of his upcoming scheduled fight with Aaron Simpson, which was supposed to be going down at UFC 132.

Jason “Mayhem” Miller is recognized by the general public as the host of MTV’s “Bully Beatdown” show. Miller’s wise-cracking and spastic attitude have earned him an equal amount of fierce supporters as well as fiery cynics. Miller also became one of the chief participants of the darkest moment in Strikeforce history: the infamous “Nashville” post-fight brawl that was seen on national television.

Inside the cage, Miller is a veteran of over thirty fights and holds a commandingly positive record of 24-7 with one No Contest. Miller is a former ICON Sport Middleweight Champion, a Superbrawl Welterweight Champion, and a UFC and Strikeforce veteran. Miller has twenty of his twenty-four wins by stoppage, with six (T)KO’s and fourteen submissions. Miller is currently on a two-fight win-streak.

The man he’ll be coaching opposite of, Michael Bisping, is widely regarded as a very controversial, very notorious Middleweight fighter. Bisping was an integral part of the UFC’s explosive expansion into the UK, and to this day he’s mostly adored by his fellow Brits while a substantial piece of the larger MMA fanbase revile him as a cocky trash-talker. Bisping is currently on a three-fight win-streak and coming off of a very, very controversial performance against Jorge Rivera. After weeks of Rivera tearing Bisping a new one in a series of hilarious viral videos, Bisping struck Rivera with an illegal knee that many say should have resulted in a disqualification. Bisping later won the fight by second-round TKO.

I think this is going to be a crazy, crazy season of “The Ultimate Fighter”. So long as the fight quality matches the drama, this could also be one of the best seasons in recent TUF history. Even better, Season 14 is supposed to feature Bantamweight and Featherweight fighters, and I’ve been campaigning for a lighter-weight season of TUF for a long, long, long time.

And it gets even better: it’s now more or less confirmed that the “fight to get into the house” rule will become permanent in all seasons of TUF moving forward. I think that’s a great way to eliminate everyone except the best fighters. All in all, TUF Season 14 has a ridiculous amount of potential and I can’t wait to see what happens.

We head to the one and only Sherdog for news that the UFC recently made almost a dozen fights official for the July 2 card. UFC 132 “Cruz vs. Faber 2” will now featuring the following match-ups: Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber, Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben, Ryan Bader vs. Tito Ortiz, Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim, Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman, Melvin Guillard vs. Shane Roller, George Sotiropoulos vs. Rafael dos Anjos, Brian Bowles vs. Takeya Mizugaki, Jason “Mayhem” Miller vs. Aaron Simpson, Andre Winner vs. Anthony Njokuani, and Erik Koch vs. Cub Swanson.

I think UFC 132 is a very interesting card. It does feature some big stars, but not any of the UFC’s mega-stars: no Georges St. Pierre, no Jon Jones, no Anderson Silva, etc. However, the great thing about this card is that it’s not dependent on any one match in particular. What I mean by that is simple: this isn’t a one-note show, every single fight looks very interesting on paper.

In fact, this entire show looks so interesting on paper that I hope the UFC pulls a UFC 129 and makes every single fight available either through Facebook, Spike TV, or Pay-Per-View. The preliminary card of this event is so good, in fact, that I think you could make a serious argument that it’s “UFC Fight Night” caliber.

That’s not hype talking: the undercard features popular Lightweights Melvin Guillard and George Sotiropoulos as well as former WEC Bantamweight Champion Brian Bowles. You’ve event got Jason Miller competing, who recently signed to the UFC from Strikeforce and made some pretty big waves by doing so.

As if that wasn’t good enough, the Pay-Per-View card is shaping up really nicely as well. I think Dennis Siver has truly begun to realize his potential and is starting to turn a lot of heads. Depending on if he beats Wiman and also how he beats him, Siver may find himself amongst the shortlist of possible UFC Lightweight Championship contenders. You’ve then got Carlos Condit taking on “Stun Gun” Kim in what I think will be a fight that will put the winner as the next challenger to the UFC Welterweight Championship, so long as the finish is dramatic enough.

And further atop the card, you’ve got a trifecta of big matches, with a whole lot on the line in each and every one of them. There’s no other way to put this: if Tito Ortiz loses to Ryan Bader, he’ll most likely be fired and he’ll also most likely retire. The situation isn’t as dire for Wanderlei Silva, but if he wants to make one final comeback before he too decides to retire, he’s got to beat Chris Leben.

And in the main event, you have two great fighters who absolutely despise each other stepping into the cage and trading leather. Dominick Cruz is definitely the most “complete” fighter in the UFC’s 135-pound division, but Urijah Faber is considered one of the best lighter-weight fighters of all time. I don’t think Faber will beat Cruz, but I certainly won’t rule out the possibility.

In the end, this looks like it’s going to be a great card and I plan to see as much of it as I possibly can. And what about you, fans and friends? Anyone out there anticipating UFC 132?

With credit going to MMA Junkie, the full and complete UFC 132 card is as follows: Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber, Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben, Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman, Ryan Bader vs. Tito Ortiz, Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim, Melvin Guillard vs. Shane Roller, Jason Miller vs. Aaron Simpson, Rafael dos Anjos vs. George Sotiropoulos, Brian Bowles and Takeya Mizugaki, Anthony Njokuani vs. Andre Winner, and Erik Koch vs. Cub Swanson

This is shaping up to be a very, very interesting card. I’m highly intrigued by the main event, even though I do think this is another example of a promotion showing favoritism towards Urijah Faber. Nevertheless, Faber has looked pretty impressive at Bantamweight and he does represent a pretty significant threat to Dominick Cruz. However, right now Cruz is just so good at so many different things that it’s hard to imagine anyone dethroning him, including Urijah Faber.

If it ends up going all three rounds, I think Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben will be a strong “Fight of the Year” candidate. I think both men will come out looking to strike, and making this fight the brawl we all want it to be. I really think that there’s no chance that either of these two will show up gun-shy: Wanderlei Silva has never shown an ounce of fear in any fight of his that I’ve ever seen, and Chris Leben is either too proud or too crazy to care about the punching power of his opponent. This is going to be a great match-up.

I’ve already said plenty about Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim, and I’ve made my feelings towards “Stun Gun” pretty well known. I absolutely do not like how he’s beginning to use “Lay and Pray” tactics, and I think Kim will be in for a very rude awakening if he ever goes up against Georges St. Pierre. I have a sinking feeling that Kim will sit on Carlos Condit for three rounds and earn the next shot at the title, but a very large part of me hopes that Condit catches “Stun Gun” and knocks his block off.

Finally, I think UFC 132’s preliminary card is one of the most-stacked preliminary cards of the year. You’ve got Melvin Guillard, Jason Miller, Anthony Njokuani, Brian Bowles, George Sotiropoulos… that’s your preliminary card? That looks more like a “Fight Night Live” event to me. I really, really hope that the UFC makes all six of those preliminary fights available to view, either through Facebook or Spike TV, because I definitely want to see just about all of them.

All in all, this looks like it could be another big event for the UFC, and possibly one of their best events in 2011. Only time will tell, but right now I’m feeling very positive about this show. And what about you, fans and friends? Any thoughts on how this card is shaping up?

Here’s what Miller had to say to the folks over at MMA Fighting: “This is a political environment. Nobody’s going to tell you. They’re just going to be cowards about it… I have no ill will towards anyone… Maybe it was because I was the only guy who apologized and accepted the blame (for Nashville). I was the only guy who really apologized for it, and not this half-hearted thing where my manager’s making me say I’m sorry. I was truly apologetic.”

I was honestly shocked when it was announced that Miller had signed with the UFC due to CBS and Showtime banning him from fighting on their network. I do think that Miller definitely should have been punished for his actions, but outright banishment goes a bit too far in my opinion. Allow me to explain.

I’ll start off with something we can all agree on: somebody deserved to be punished for the “Nashville” fiasco. Without hyperbole, that may have been the darkest moment in Strikeforce history. Does it get any worse than seeing some of your most popular and most recognizable fighters do a gang initiation-style beatdown on another popular fighter live on national television? To date, Strikeforce has yet to hold another event on CBS after the impromptu brawl between Miller and most of Team Cesar Gracie. In that type of situation, temporary bans and substantial fines aren’t just warranted, they’re downright necessary in order to protect the integrity of this sport of ours.

But a permanent ban? I would be fine with an “indefinite ban” until some type of meeting is arranged where all parties involved can make their case and decide on an appropriate punishment. But forever is a long time, fans and friends. And as the saying goes, time heals all wounds. Case in point: Paul Daley. Paul Daley is also another fighter that’s been given a lifelong ban, except whereas Miller was banned from competing on Showtime and CBS by Showtime and CBS, Daley was banned from ever competing in the UFC by UFC President Dana White.

Did I agree with Paul Daley’s banishment at the time it was announced? Part of me really did agree. But times change, circumstances change. I’m not saying “forgive and forget”, I’m just saying “forgive”. In the case of both Paul Daley and Jason Miller, no one was seriously injured and both Miller and Daley were sincerely apologetic regarding their actions. That’s got to count for something.

So, is Strikeforce to blame for forcing Miller to sit on the sidelines for so long when he should be fighting, making money, and providing for both himself and his loved ones? I hate to say it, fans and friends… but I think they are. If Strikeforce truly had no way to utilize Jason Miller, they should have let Miller out of his contract. Somebody should have owned up, somebody should have admitted that CBS and Showtime put Strikeforce in a very difficult position. If Strikeforce had to force Jason Miller to fall on his sword for the good of the brand, they should have at least told him that’s what they were going to do. If Jason Miller had to be the sacrificial lamb so Strikeforce could continue doing business with Showtime and CBS, then they just should have gotten it over with and slaughtered him. In a manner of speaking.

But of course, that’s my opinion. What about you, fans and friends?

Though he has competed in the organization in the past, he has since been fighting in a variety of promotions, most recently being Strikeforce.

Miller was originally scheduled to face off against Tim Kennedy in a rubber match at the March 5th Strikeforce event in Columbus, Ohio, though he was subsequently removed from the bout for no apparent reason. Well now it looks like said reason stems from Miller’s involvement in the infamous “Nashville Brawl”, which left him banned from both Showtime and CBS alike. All this is from Miller’s newest employer in UFC President Dana White.

Jason, the host of the ultra-popular “Bully Beatdown” show on MTV, was in the midst of a near in-cage riot this time last year. Miller stepped inside the cage moments after then champion Jake Shields defended his middleweight title against the legendary Dan Henderson in Nashville, Tennessee at the Bridgestone Arena. Jason confronted Shields about a potential rematch, stemming from their initial meeting in November of 2009. A push and a shove lead to Miller and the rest of Shields’ camp, including Gilbert Melendez, Nick and Nate Diaz, taking part in a brawl on national television, airing live in CBS.

Needless to say, the folks at CBS (the parent company for Showtime) have not taken kindly to Miller’s antics, and though he was forced to pay a fine like everyone else involved, the head execs opted to not have Jason return to the Strikeforce fold.

“Mayhem Miller had a contract with those guys,” said UFC President Dana White to a group of reports following the pre-fight press conference for this weekends UFC 129 event–according to 5thRound.com.

“Mayhem, he’s banished from CBS for life. He wasn’t being fought because he couldn’t fight on Showtime, he couldn’t fight on CBS, so he was in a bad position.

“So that’s why [we signed him to the UFC].”

The last time Miller was seen in action was when he took on Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba under the DREAM banner last September. Sakuraba had only been submitted once in his career, by heavyweight Kimo Leopoldo in his mixed martial arts debut many years ago, and has since made a career of submitting many opponents himself, including notables Renzo Gracie, Royler Gracie and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. However, Jason was able to systematically dismantle his idol and eventually submit him with a first-round arm triangle choke. Funny enough, the submission was the same hold that Kimo had caught the Japanese sensation with back in 1996.

Regardless of how Miller ended up in the organization, he should still be a welcomed addition, especially in a thinning middleweight class that needs a new face in the title picture.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the news? Caught me off guard, too. I remember Cesar Gracie making mention of it first at MMAJunkie.com, though I thought it was him just being “bitter” towards “Mayhem” considering Miller’s beef with most of Cesar’s stable of fighters, but it looks like theres some truth to the story. Sound off in the comment section below.

Miller isn’t just about that maniacal laugh or crazy sense of humor; he’s a downright awesome fighter, capable of making significant waves in the UFC’s middleweight division. Along with this, here are four things that may play in his favor against Simpson.

1) Miller isn’t making his UFC debut: Commentator Joe Rogan has said it on numerous occasions: UFC debuts are difficult for most fighters. No matter how they’ve done in past promotions, all fighters realize that the UFC is the big time. Oftentimes this leads to nerves that affect cardio and even game plans. Miller, however, has already fought in the UFC once, losing to Georges St. Pierre by way of unanimous decision back in 2005. And a man that has hosted a show on MTV and defeated the likes of Tim Kennedy and Robbie Lawler is unlikely to be affected by nerves as much as others anyway.  He’s been in the spotlight and had tough fights before.

2) Miller is an outstanding submission artist: Miller holds 14 career submission victories. We’re talking about a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt with enough savvy to look solid against Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, escaping multiple submission attempts that would’ve put most people away (and doing that against a guy like Jacare is the definition of looking solid).   Miller has submitted the likes of Falaniko Vitale, Robbie Lawler, and Kazushi Sakuraba during his career. What’s more, he’s only been stopped once by submission, and that was back in 2002.

3) Miller is tough and has heart: Mayhem has only been stopped twice during his entire MMA career; once in that 2002 bout against Todd Carney by guillotine choke, and another time to Frank Trigg by TKO in 2006. He is also known for having strong cardio, which is a hallmark of fighting with heart.

4) Miller possesses solid striking skills: Miller is not known as a great striker. That said, his Muay Thai skills are better than people often give him credit for. He’s been in there against really good stand up guys like Robbie Lawler and Tim Kennedy and done better than survive.

Of course, Aaron Simpson is no joke either. Here are a couple of things that play in his favor.

1) Simpson is an upper echelon wrestler: Simpson amassed a 142–1 high school record wrestling record for Antelope Union High School in Welton, Arizona, earning four state titles along the way. He also achieved All American status at Arizona State University in 1996 and 1998. So we’re talking about a guy with upper echelon takedowns and takedown defense. Remember that Jake Shields was able to grind out a decision victory over Miller by taking him down and controlling him, which would seem to be something that Simpson might try.

2) Simpson hits hard and is athletic: Simply put, Simpson can hurt you with his hands, as many of his opponents can attest to.  He is a very good athlete, and that means explosiveness that Mayhem doesn’t have as much of.

In the end, this should be a good fight. Mayhem needs a win in order to immediately become relevant in the middleweight division. Simpson needs a win to possibly keep his job, after losing two of three.  Will Simpson’s advantages in wrestling and athleticism net him a victory?  Or will Miller come through with craftiness and submission skills?  Should be interesting.

First and foremost, I’d like to take this time to address those that are already voicing the following opinion: with Strikeforce and the UFC now under one company umbrella, Miller signing with the UFC will begin an extended period of Strikeforce stars signing over once their contracts come up, to the point where it will be the death of Strikeforce.

My response to that is simple: it’s far too early to tell that, and we should examine these signings on a case-by-case basis until a more-clear precedent is set. Also, I personally believe that Jason Miller didn’t leave Strikeforce as part of some grand plan that will end the Strikeforce promotion. I think Jason Miller left Strikeforce because he was dissatisfied with the way Strikeforce treated him. And that’s not something that hasn’t happened before.

Let me further talk about those two points, my main points in fact, by dissecting them one at a time. First up: it’s too soon to tell. We don’t know if Miller’s signing will set a precedent. His contract expired, and he was allowed to renegotiate or sign with another promotion. He simply chose the latter, and can you really blame him? I’ll get to that in a bit, but my main point right now is this: if Alistair Overeem signs over when his contract is up, if Dan Henderson signs over when his contract is up, if Nick Diaz or Gilbert Melendez or any of Strikeforce’s A-List talents all sign to the UFC once their contracts are up… that’s when I’ll believe that it’s the beginning of the end for Strikeforce. You simply can’t have one single fighter sign over and call it a precedent.

Which leads me to my next point: can you really blame Jason Miller for signing with the UFC? Jason Miller fought two times in Strikeforce, and he ended up going 1-1. But it’s important to note that arguably his most-famous moment in Strikeforce occurred when he stormed into the cage, challenged Jake Shields to a rematch… and then received a beatdown from Team Cesar Gracie on national television. And what’s also important is what happened outside of the cage. Jason Miller spent a whole lot of time waiting on the sidelines for a catchweight “dream fight” with Nick Diaz that never materialized.

So, as I asked earlier: can you blame him? Maybe Jason Miller signing to the UFC isn’t the start of some nefarious master plan to slowly weed out all of Strikeforce’s best/most notable talent and put them inside of the Octagon. Maybe Miller was just a disgruntled fighter, someone that got beat up on national television and then had to sit on the sidelines waiting for a fight that never occurred. And as I also said earlier, Jason Miller is by no means the first fighter to get disgruntled with Strikeforce and not renew his contract. He’s not even the most famous. That title belongs to Jake Shields, who left while he was champion and after one of the best performances of his career.

Here’s a little positivity to end this piece, fans and friends: I like Jason Miller. I think I’m going to enjoy watching him fight in the UFC. But I’m honestly puzzled as to why his signing is being made out to be something that it’s not. At least, that’s what I think. What about you?

Miller, who has been fighting recently under the Strikeforce promotion, will be returning to the octagon for the first time since his long octagon stint in 2005 when he fought against current UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at 170-pounds. Since then, Jason has been fighting exclusively in the middleweight class, safe for one freak show fight where he fought Stefan Gamlin at heavyweight.

Miller marks the first-change of the “new era” of mixed martial arts since the UFC had purchased the Strikeforce promotion not so long ago.

UFC President Dana White had stated that should we see Strikeforce fighters fight under the UFC banner in the future, it will be because their contracts expired and they were able to negotiate. White insists that for the time being, the two organization’s will not co-promote, despite being under the same Zuffa umbrella.

Now Jason marks the first fighter to transition into the UFC since the acqusition of the San Jose based promotion, and he will be a welcomed addition to the middleweight class.

In Strikeforce, Miller became a viable contender for the title, however fell short in his bid to claim the vacant belt when current UFC title contender Jake Shields out-grappled Jason for the entire 25-minute affair. However, following the loss, Miller bounced back with a two-fight win streak when he TKO’d Tim Stout in Strikeforce, and then submitted legend Kazushi Sakuraba under the DREAM banner in Japan last September. The submission loss for “The Gracie Hunter” was the first since his mixed martial arts debut in 1997.

Since his time spent away from the UFC, Jason at one point was considered to be among one of the best middleweight’s in the world, having captured the ICON Sport crown in 2006 when he submitted perennial top-10 fighter Robbie Lawler. Jason is 12-3-1 since his absence from the octagon.

The news of Miller’s new multi-fight contract with the UFC was initially reported by MMAFighting.com through manager Ryan Parsons.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the news? Miller has proven that with his tool set, he can beat virtually anyone in the world. It will be interesting to see how far he can make it in the ultra-competitive UFC middleweight class. Sound off in the comment section below.

Diaz will probably have to fight Jorge Masvidal.

The first thing on everybody’s minds if Diaz beats Daley will certainly be who he fights next. And given the nature of Strikeforce’s Welterweight division, Diaz has some slim pickings. As much as I dislike him both as a fighter and as a person, I have to admit that Jorge Masvidal stands out as one of the most-likely candidates for a title shot.

Diaz will also probably have to fight Tyron Woodley.

Another very likely candidate is the currently-undefeated Tyron Woodley, who has been lighting it up in the “Challengers” series of shows and is perhaps only one more fight away from a title shot. Woodley’s record stands at a perfect 6-0 in Strikeforce and 8-0 overall, with six stoppage wins (five by submission, one by TKO). Woodley is also a high-level wrestler, and would be a very different challenger for Diaz, stylistically, than any of the fighters he’s faced to both win and retain his championship.

Diaz will officially become Strikeforce’s most dominant champion.

If Nick Diaz defeats Paul Daley, it will mark the third time that Diaz has successfully defended his Welterweight Championship. That’s the most successful title defenses any champion has ever had in Strikeforce since the promotion’s inception. That’s no small feat when you consider that Strikeforce didn’t even have a Welterweight Championship until Diaz fought and beat Marius Zaromskis for the vacant title in 2010. In just over one year, with just one more victory, Diaz will become the most dominant champion in Strikeforce history.

Nick Diaz will move up to 185 at least once.

What’s left for Nick Diaz at Welterweight, aside from the aforementioned Masvidal and Woodley? Not much, if we’re being honest. So I think Nick Diaz will make his move up to 185 for at least one more fight, or perhaps a 180-pound catchweight. Diaz has pretty much ran through his division, but there’s a lot of challenges and big-money encounters left for him at Middleweight. So he’ll probably make the switch, even if it’s just a one-off deal, before long.

Nick Diaz still won’t fight Jason Miller.

I know, I know. Everyone wants to see this fight. You best believe I want to see it to. But it’s just not going to happen. Or at least, there are several strong factors holding it back from happening. First and foremost, Nick Diaz wants a truckload of money to make this fight happen. It’s always tough to navigate those kinds of political waters, but maybe the recent purchase of Strikeforce by Zuffa will smooth things a bit. But then there’s the second, equally-large problem: even though he’s a recognizable name, one of the most-recognizable in Strikeforce in fact, Jason Miller hasn’t done anything in Strikeforce to warrant a shot at Nick Diaz. Both men absolutely hate each other, but Miller has fought in Strikeforce twice, and his record of 1-1 isn’t anywhere close to Diaz’s Strikeforce record of 5-0. Everyone will still be talking about this match, but it still won’t happen. At least not in the immediate future.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? Any predictions for what the future holds if Diaz beats Daley?

One of their biggest flaws has always been the manner in which they put together bouts on a given fight card, case in point “Strikeforce: Columbus” which has already rustled through three fighters in a single bout. Initially, a middleweight match-up pitting Jason “Mayhem” Miller and Tim Kennedy was expected to take place on the March event, which is scheduled to coincide with the Arnold’s Sports Festival, however the promotion has since scrapped those plans for the trilogy bout.

Then, it was announced that Kennedy would instead be facing budding contender Luke Rockhold in a middleweight fight, and as of today that fight has been put on the back burner also.

MMAJunkie.com is reporting that Manhoef, a veteran K-1 fighter, will instead meet Tim Kennedy in the 185-pound fight, which is expected to be part of the Showtime televised main-card. The event is to be headlined by a light heavyweight title bout featuring champion Rafael “Feijao” against legend Dan Henderson.

Kennedy was last seen in action on the losing side of a hard-fought 25-minute decision to current titleholder Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza when the two met last August–the both were vying for the then vacant middleweight crown, which was left up for grabs when former titleholder Jake Shields signed with the UFC.

Manhoef was last inside the Strikeforce cage when he was shockingly knocked out by the “Ruthless” one, Robbie Lawler. Melvin was dominating the former EliteXC champ early with a barrage of leg kicks that had the H.I.T Squad co-founder on the defense, however Lawler still managed to uncork an over hand right that sent the Dutch striker crashing to the mat. A followup blow cemented the knockout win for Robbie.

Since the middleweight affair, Melvin subsequently lost to Tatsuya Mizuno in a light heavyweight match-up in the quarter-finals of DREAM’s inaugural 205-pound Grand Prix. Manhoef was TKO’d inside of the first-round.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the new bout? Strikeforce is a head ache and a half when it comes to these late minute matches. I still remember when I was at Strikeforce: Evolution in San Jose in December of 2009, where the aforementioned Lawler was still waiting to see if a new opponent would come in on late notice after both Benji Radach and Trevor Prangley bowed out of the middleweight bout..and this was on the day of the weigh-ins. Sound off in the comment section below.

It was recently announced that a previously planned middleweight affair pitting former title challengers Tim Kennedy and Jason “Mayhem” Miller has since been scrapped. Kennedy remains on the card, “Strikeforce: Columbus” which takes place on March 5, however he will now be taking on budding contender Luke Rockhold in a pivotal 185-pound match-up.

However for Miller, now word has been made just yet on his next bout, but all signs are pointing to a third-meeting with Strikeforce champion Ronaldo Souza, much to the dismay of the Brazilian.

Souza recently explained his displeasure in competing with Miller once again, when the topic came up during the post-fight press conference last Saturday following the submission specialist’s win over five-time middleweight titleholder Robbie Lawler.

“You kidding me? I beat this guy two times, man,” said Jacare. “No more.”

However, the promotion has left no explanation as to Miller’s reason for removal from the planned Ohio event, leading to believe that Jason could next be facing ‘Jacare’, since outside of Rockhold, he is the only visible contender in the once-stacked middleweight class.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker explained during the presser that the bout with Souza and Miller could be inevitable, depending on how both men perform in the future.

Miller is recently riding a two-fight win streak, with a win in his last Strikeforce appearance in April of last year when he defeated local favorite Tim Stout when the men met at the Nashville, Tennessee event, where Jason successfully recorded the TKO win inside of the first-round. Miller followed up the performance when he took on mixed martial arts legend Kazushi Sakuraba in his native Japan, submitting his idol inside of the first-round. Jason remains the first and only man to submit ‘The Gracie Hunter’ in his professional career.

With Scott Smith‘s inception to the 170-pound fold, Cung Le‘s continued movie success, Kennedy’s last fight which ended in a loss to Souza, it looks like Miller is the next logical step for the Brazilian, especially since the champ added during the presser that he wants to return to action immediately.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the fight that could be? Does Miller get it down this time around? He has since been training full time with Kings MMA, with the likes of Fabricio Werdum, Renato “Babalu” Sobral and head trainer Rafael Cordeiro (formely of Chute Boxe)–will any of this make a difference? Sound off in the comment section below.

Both men are the top players in the Strikeforce middleweight division, as they have both challenged for the promotions 185-pound strap, so it seemed only logical that they would meet not only to settle the score of their 1-1 meeting to conclude with a definitive winner to the trilogy, but the win would also also a clear cut number one contender to the title.

However, with Miller having been pulled from the bout, an equally impressive Luke Rockhold has stepped in his place, and will likely battle Kennedy to determine the next challenger for the title.

MMAJunkie.com reported earlier today the cancellation of the middleweight fight with sources close to the fighters. Later, Mike Afromowitz of Strikeforce confirmed the newly minted bout with Rockhold and Kennedy, later stating that the bout with Miller was never official as nothing was signed.

Kennedy was last seen in action when he challenged Ronaldo Souza for the then vacant middleweight title, however fell short in his bid to become champion when “Jacare” took home a close decision victory over the U.S. Army veteran, using his improved stand-up skills which lasted for the full 25 minutes of the championship bout. The loss snapped a four-fight win streak for Kennedy, three of which came inside Strikeforce.

Rockhold, meanwhile, has yet to taste defeat since his inception into the San Jose based promotion, and last recorded an “L” in November of 2007 in just his second professional mixed martial arts bout. Currently, Luke is a perfect 6-0 with the promotion, which is thanks largely to his ties with the American Kickboxing Academy. Perhaps what is more impressive during his recent stretch is that the the skateboarder has never gone past the second-round, finishing four of his six opponents in Strikeforce via rear-naked choke.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the new match-up? While I was looking forward to the Miller-Kennedy trilogy, this fight is very exciting nonetheless. The two middleweights are expected to meet at “Strikeforce: Columbus” which will be going down at the Nationwide Arena on March 5, with a light heavyweight headliner pitting champ Rafael “Feijao” against legend Dan Henderson. Sound off in the comment section below.

Now that both men find themselves under the Strikeforce banner, with Ronaldo sitting atop the division as the reigning and defending middleweight champion, it would seem inevitable that the two dynamic fighters would eventually meet again somewhere down the line.

However, if the Brazilian had it his way, Souza would never like to step inside the cage with the “clown” ever again. Ever.

“You kidding me man? I beat this guy two times. No more!”, exclaimed a usually reserved ‘Jacare’ (during the post-fight press conference following his win over Robbie Lawler this past Saturday), who responded to the question of the potential on the third-meeting with Miller.

Scott Coker seemed a little more optimistic about the idea, stating that it would be something that they would most likely have to revisit somewhere down the line should both men continue on their winning ways. In fact, Miller is currently riding a two-fight win streak since a decision loss to Jake Shields when the two battled for the vacant middleweight title in November of 2009. Jason has since defeated Tim Stout in his last Strikeforce appearance in April of last year, via TKO inside of the first-round of their 185-pound fight, and he followed up the finish with an equally impressive submission win over mixed martial arts legend Kazushi Sakuraba in Japan last September.

Luke Rockhold still seems like a feesable opponent, however since he’s coming off of a shoulder injury, the promotion will likely not throw him into a title fight just yet, especially since he hasn’t recorded a signature win since his inception into the San Jose based promotion. Guys like Tim Kennedy and even Robbie Lawler will always be in the title mix, however both men have since come off losses to the champ and will need to rebuild their careers before garnering another shot at the belt. And don’t even get me started on Matt Lindland.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of Souza’s comments? It would seem a little redundant for the two fighters to meet in the immediate future, both truth be told, who else cloud step in right now and face Souza for the title? The champ has stated he would like to return to action ASAP, and although Cung Le now comes to mind, it looks like he may be entangled in the movie business yet again. Sound off in the comment section below.

Here’s some of the highlights from a recent Strikeforce conference call, with transcription courtesy of MMA Weekly. On the subject of his much-hyped catchweight bout with arch-rival Jason “Mayhem” Miller that has yet to come to fruition, Diaz said, “I don’t like how people try to say that I didn’t accept the fight with [Jason] Miller because I was too small… I said if I’m going to go off track and screw with my whole season, it’s going to screw with my whole year; it’s going to screw with my capabilities of fighting at 170 pounds. If I’m going to do that, I’d like to get paid in full.”

When discussing the main problem that has held this fight back, which is both fighters refusing to fight at the weight the other one has requested, Diaz had this to say: “They were talking about making me move weights. I said tell his ass to get in (expletive) shape and make weight like I do. It’s (expletive) hard enough for me to make 170 pounds.”

Diaz ended his tirade by launching into a rant about money, saying, “(Manny) Pacquiao’s making 40 (expletive) million dollars; GSP’s making a couple million dollars. I’m over here (expletive) driving a Honda and my (expletive) breaking down? (Expletive) all you mother (expletive).”

I honestly think Diaz has a point. He said it in a roundabout, controversial, profanity-filled way that will likely earn him more scorn and give the cynics plenty of ammunition… but he has a point. I honestly don’t think Diaz is getting the kind of credit he deserves. He’s one of Strikeforce’s best assets, and he’s a very dominant champion in the second-largest MMA promotion in the world. Why should he bow to another fighter’s demands? Why should he, a reigning and defending champion, take a fight in another weight division against someone who’s not even a championship contender?

Honestly, consider the hype around some of the UFC’s champions and when they moved up in weight. The UFC used Anderson Silva moving up in weight as a way to seriously hamper the buyrate of the short-lived Affliction promotion’s first Pay-Per-View… and that’s a plan that most definitely worked, considering that the promotion is no longer in existence. When BJ Penn moved up to face Georges St. Pierre for the second time, it was marketed as the biggest fight in the history of the UFC.

So I honestly empathize a bit with Nick Diaz. I don’t think he’s getting the respect he deserves, and I don’t think this much-talked-about fight with Jason Miller is the type of fight that Nick Diaz should be having unless Miller is willing to meet his demands and Strikeforce is willing to pay Diaz a fair amount. Diaz holds all the cards: he’s the one with the championship, he’s the one with the prestigious record filled with exciting fights and great finishes. I just don’t get why people are getting mad at him for exerting the type of influence and control that he’s rightfully earned by putting his blood, sweat, and tears into becoming one of the best welterweights in the world.

And remember, this is all coming from someone who once utterly loathed Nick Diaz. I couldn’t stand the man, not one bit. But over time, I was able to recognize that Diaz is a fantastic fighter regardless of his personality. And even though he could be far more political when he says the things he says, most of the time I end up agreeing with him. And this is one of those times.

But what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of this new interview?

Two former title challengers in Jason “Mayhem” Miller and Tim Kennedy are set to meet once again inside the cage.

Kennedy, the most recent challenger to the promotion’s middleweight title, is coming off of a spirited decision loss to current champion Ronaldo Souza. The Jiu-Jitsu world champion utilized his ever improving striking skills to work Tim from the outside with jabs and straights, eventually earning the nod on all three-judges score cards last August, claiming the then vacant title.

The loss snapped a four-fight win streak for Tim, three of which came under the Strikeforce banner, including a notable win over former title contender and UFC veteran Trevor Prangley, submitting the American Kickboxing Academy product with a first-round rear-naked choke.

MMAJunkie.com first reported the 185-pound fight, confirming it with sources close to fighters.

Like Kennedy, “Mayhem” is looking for a little bit of redemption of his own. Though he us currently on the heels of two-consecutive victories in the middleweight class, Jason has long been campaigning for a fight with current Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz.

The two began their rocky relationship with a botched interview given by the enigmatic Miller some years ago for the ultra-corrupt EliteXC promotion. Then, the two found themselves in a scuffle last April in Nashville, Tenn., where Miller entered the cage with a flood of Cesar Gracie fighters challenging then champ Jake Shields to a rematch from their earlier affair. In poor taste, Diaz along with several other fighters ganged on Jason, causing a huge stir on national televsion.

Negotiations for the fight have been on going ever since, however Jason will now draw Kennedy for the third time. Early in his career, “Mayhem” suffered a decision loss to Kennedy in 2003, however exacted revenge in 2007 with a decision win of his own.

Now for both men, it’s time to settle the score. The fight will likely take place on an unannounced March 5th event rumored to take place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio–which will also play host to a title fight pitting champ Rafael “Feijao” against legend Dan Henderson in a light heavyweight affair.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match up? Who do you think walks out victorious in their third (and likely last) fight? Sound off in the comment section below.

5. Mauricio Rua/Rashad Evans vs. Jon Jones

This is more about the ascension of Jon Jones than it is about Mauricio Rua or Rashad Evans, although both men are great fighters and pose a varied assortment of problems to “Bones”. No matter who ends up wearing the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, I can’t wait to see Jon Jones finally get his crack at the most hotly-contested and arguably the most prestigious championship in the UFC. With the title being on the line, and given whom Jones may end up facing, we’d most likely see a brilliant performance by “Bones” that utterly eclipses anything he’s ever done in the Octagon before. And that’s a dream come true for Jon Jones fans.

4. Nick Diaz vs. Jason Miller

At this point I think both men can barely stand to be in a room with each other, and I can only imagine how vicious these two would be if they ever got the opportunity to fight each other. This fight has been talked about at length for a long time, and I have personally done my best to keep both myself and my readers constantly up-to-date on this rivalry. And there’s a good reason for that: outside of the Heavyweight division, I truly believe that this fight is the most marketable and most interesting fight that Strikeforce conceivably has access to. And even though I’ve had a few issues with Jason Miller’s antics in the past, make no mistake: I’d still absolutely love to see this fight.

3. Jon Fitch vs. Georges St. Pierre 2

I’ve been a fan of Jon Fitch for a long, long time. I think he’s an amazing athlete, an incredible wrestler, one of the UFC’s best assets, and the recipient of far more criticism than he deserves and far less recognition than is fair. I’d love to see this fight because I think Jon Fitch has it in him to prove a lot of people wrong. Plus, it would likely bring out the best in Georges St. Pierre, who continues to evolve at an astonishing rate. Both as a Fitch fan and a GSP fan, I’d go out of my way to make sure I watched this fight if it ever ends up happening.

2. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Fabricio Werdum 2

Be honest, you knew it was coming. And for good reason, too: I think Fedor Emelianenko is the greatest Mixed Martial Artist that has ever fought. I think he made a mistake against Fabricio Werdum after a lifetime of performing flawlessly, and I think he has every intention of correcting that mistake in the most heinous, destructive way possible. The first fight shook the MMA world to its core, the rematch would be talked about for years to come. There’s not a lot I wouldn’t give to see this fight.

But, as if there could be any doubt, my top dream fight as we head towards 2011 is…

1. Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre

Even though it won’t look like it, I’m going to say this without an ounce of hyperbole on my part: I truly believe that Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre is the biggest dream-fight currently conceivable. Pick your poison, it’s all the same to me: it doesn’t matter if it’s Fedor vs. Randy Couture, Fedor vs. Brock Lesnar, Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem, or any and all of the rest. I truly believe that this fight would define a generation and go down as the biggest fight in MMA history. In the immediate future, I don’t think anything has a chance of toppling this fight as my top “dream fight”.

And so Part 2 comes to a close, fans and friends. Stay tuned for the final two parts as we head into the second half of “All I Want for Christmas”. And what do you think? What are some big dream matches you’re looking forward to?

In a new interview with MMA Fighting, Miller recently said the following: “We almost had the fight together… 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… We said 181, but they wouldn’t take it… They want me to be totally emaciated to make the weight… For now, I’m over it… 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’.”

Now, I now I’ve spoken at length about this topic, mainly because I consider myself both a big Diaz fan and a fan of Jason Miller. From the start, my problem with this bout was that Nick Diaz wears Strikeforce gold while Jason Miller hasn’t beaten anybody significant in Strikeforce. Normally whenever a champion moves up in weight, he either fights a complete can or someone with a large amount of prestige, like a current or former champion. Put plainly, Miller is in a figurative No Man’s Land where he refuses to fight anyone except Diaz while Diaz refuses to fight Mayhem until he adds some accolades to his Strikeforce career. Miller’s between a rock and a hard place: no way is he a can, but he’s barely fought for Strikeforce and his last fight wasn’t even televised, only some highlights were shown.

But something interesting happened recently that made me rethink consistently siding with the Diaz camp whenever this topic is brought up. To be bluntly honest, the recent announcement that Evangelista Santos would be the next challenger for Nick Diaz’s Strikeforce Welterweight Championship does lend some credence to Miller’s assertion that Nick Diaz and his camp only pick favorable fights.

Jason Miller vs. Nick Diaz made some sense, but had a few hard-to-overcome issues surrounding it. But, and once again I’ll be brutally honest, Evangelista Santos vs. Nick Diaz makes a whole hell of a lot less sense than Jason Miller vs. Nick Diaz. Santos is 18-13 to Miller’s 24-7. Jason Miller has fought for and even won some championship gold in the past, Santos has never fought for a championship. I could go on, but you get my point: saying Jason Miller isn’t up to snuff and then giving Evangelista Santos a title shot is the definition of bass-ackwards.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of Miller’s latest rant?

A few days ago MMA Junkie reported on the possibility that Jason Miller could meet Tim Kennedy at Strikeforce’s January event. This would be the third time that these two have fought, Kennedy defeated “Mayhem” back in 2003 and Miller avenged that loss in 2007. Jason Miller is currently on a two-fight win-streak, but hasn’t competed in Strikeforce in over eight months. In that time, he’s continued to host the popular MTV show “Bully Beatdown” while starting up and actively engaging in an intense verbal war with current Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz. Tim Kennedy most recently lost a hard-fought five-round war to Ronaldo Souza in a fight that saw Souza claim the vacant Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. Many fighters.com fans and readers would go on to agree with me in my sentiment that Kennedy did more than enough in the Souza fight to earn an immediate rematch.

And speaking of “Jacare”, MMA Weekly recently revealed that it’s looking more and more likely that Ronaldo Souza will be making the first defense of his championship at the January 29 show. His opponent is rumored to be Robbie Lawler. Lawler just got done sending MMA veteran Matt Lindland into a near-catatonic state at the recent Strikeforce: “Henderson vs. Babalu 2” event. The dramatic, thundering knockout will almost certainly remain on Lawler’s highlight reel for the rest of his career. Meanwhile, Ronaldo Souza is on a three-fight win-streak and hasn’t lost in over two years.

I hope both of these fights do indeed happen, because I think there’s a lot to look forward to in both bouts. I think Tim Kennedy has progressed by leaps and bounds lately, and is undoubtedly one of Strikeforce’s top middleweights. Jason Miller has an excellent shot at also achieving top-division status, he just needs to stay active, even if it means prolonging his feud with Nick Diaz and Diaz’s camp. As much as I like Jason Miller, I’ve said several times that I agree with Diaz’s camp: Nick gains nothing from a fight with “Mayhem” because Jason Miller hasn’t beaten anybody in Strikeforce. Beating Tim Kenney would be a gigantic step in the right direction.

In regards to Lawler/Souza, this is going to be a great grappler vs. striker fight. It’s true that Souza has relied on his much-improved striking to win some of his recent fights, but the fact of the matter is that none of Souza’s recent opponents have had the kind of crushing one-hit KO power that Robbie Lawler has. Some of them come close, sure. But none of them can rock Souza the way Lawler can rock Souza. Look for the “Alligator” to make his return against Lawler, Souza is going to try to keep this one on the ground while Lawler goes headhunting from the first second to the last. It has all the makings of an awesome fight.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think about these two match-ups?

Here’s the latest courtesy of an interview Mayhem did with the one and only Sherdog: “They’ve started spitting out, ‘Oh, 178.’ Meanwhile back at the ranch, Nick Diaz is saying, ‘I’ll fight middleweight. I’ll fight middleweight.’ OK, well, just not against me, right? … These guys don’t want to fight me… Let’s do it now. Stockton is a bunch of sissies… I’m at the table. I’m at the table with a plate of yams, sitting there ready to spank his ass, but he doesn’t want to come to the table. He wants to sit in his bedroom with Cesar Gracie and cuddle.”

I think the one thing you’ll never be able to say about Jason Miller is that he’s not entertaining. Wildly controversial? Sure. Probably insane? Probably. But he knows exactly what to say, when to say it, and how to use his words to keep his name in the public eye. Fighters like Chael Sonnen and Sean McCorkle pale in comparison to the golden nuggets of verbal awesomeness that flows freely from the mouth of Jason Miller.

But unfortunately, yet again I’m forced to state what has become increasingly obvious to everyone except Miller himself: Diaz gains nothing by fighting Jason Miller. It’s been over eight months since Jason Miller competed in Strikeforce, and who exactly did he beat? He beat Tim Stout, that’s how. Who is Tim Stout? I have utterly no clue. In his last Strikeforce fight, Miller didn’t even make the main card, he had to settle with highlights of his fight being shown on the televised portion of Strikeforce: “Nashville”.

Now, I understand that Miller just got done beating his idol Kazushi Sakuraba over in Japan, at the Japanese-based DREAM’s “DREAM.16” event. I did watch that fight, and I can freely admit that it was one of Miller’s best performances in years. The potential certainly is there for Miller’s career to take a dramatic upswing in 2011 and fully justify getting this much-talked about fight with Nick Diaz. But let’s be honest, fans and friends: fight fans have a short memory, and many don’t follow international promotions.

If Miller wants his shot at Diaz, he needs to swallow his pride and take an opponent in Strikeforce. At this point, anyone would suffice. Miller is welcome to keep the trash-talking at a fevered pitch, but ultimately, Miller is hurting himself and his career if he continues to sit on the sidelines rather than proving himself in the cage. Patience is a virtue, this is true, but in the fast-paced world of MMA, you’re here today and forgotten tomorrow. And I’d hate for that to happen to what I consider one of the most entertaining fighters currently fighting.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think Miller should do in order to finally secure a fight with Nick Diaz?

The video is a parody of political “attack ads”, and features the following narrative voice-over: “Nick Diaz says he ain’t no *****, but he has gone back on his word to fight at 185 pounds. He denied being offered a fight with Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller. He has lied to the 209, and let down wannabe gangsters around the world. Why is Nick Diaz scared…homie?” The video then ends with a classic “I’m Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller, and I approve this message.”

Even as a fan of Nick Diaz, I found this video hilarious. Say what you want about Jason Miller, but the man knows how to push people’s buttons. He’s really making a name for himself by continually calling out Diaz, although I do think he made a mistake when he called Diaz autistic in a recent interview. However, this latest shot at Diaz was the perfect blend of trash-talk, humor, and parody.

I honestly look forward to see what, if any, response Diaz will give to Miller, who continues to call him out despite all the roadblocks this fight has been hitting. While it’s true that Diaz won’t be fighting Miller in January, that doesn’t necessarily close the book on them fighting in 2011. There’s still a chance that we’ll finally see Miller/Diaz before the new year is over.

And in the meantime? I think Miller needs to get back in the Strikeforce cage. The fact remains that Miller has yet to beat a top-division Strikeforce star since signing with the promotion. Getting everyone interested in a fight is one thing, proving that you’re worthy of getting that fight is another ordeal entirely. Love him or hate him, Nick Diaz is one of Strikeforce’s best assets and one of its premiere champions. Miller may be wildly popular, but he has yet to beat anyone of note in Strikeforce. Until he does so, this fight may continue to be postponed.

And that would be a real shame. Sure, it would give Miller and his crew even more time to craft hilarious videos like this one. But this rivalry can only last for so long before fans start to grow disinterested with it. If nothing is settled, if nothing is proven, then ultimately a rivalry is just two guys arguing. It’s entertaining for a while, especially with someone like Jason Miller, but in the end, these two need to get into the cage and settle their differences. I just hope it happens soon.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of this latest attack on Nick Diaz courtesy of Jason Miller, and what’s your opinion on the rivalry as a whole?

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”?

His star rising brighter since his inception in Strikeforce, his time spent with the San Jose promotoin has been highlighted with bouts against legend Frank Shamrock, DREAM welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis, and most recently a five-round slug fest against professional boxer and mixed martial artist KJ Noons.

But nobody wants him more than one, Jason “Mayhem” Miller.

The two had a brief exchange inside the Strikeforce cage in April, earlier this year in Nashville on the CBS televised card. Miller approached then middleweight champion Jake Shields for a rematch in order to vie for his title. Probably not the most appropriate of times, Miller entered the cage on his own accord just after Shields defended his belt against Dan Henderson, whilst Shields’ entire camp was in the ring.

Then, a melee occurred where Miller found himself in the bottom of a dog pile, with Diaz at the helm kicking and punching Jason any which way he can. Now, after months trash talk, it looks like the bout may finally be able to take place.

Cesar Gracie, the head trainer of fighters such as the aforementioned Jake Shields, Nate Diaz, Gilbert Melendez, and of course Nick Diaz, recently spoke with MMAJunkie.com and revealed that preliminary talks are in place for a potential match up pitting Nick and Miller together, once and for all.

Specifically speaking, Strikeforce didn’t out right offer the bout to Diaz, but Cesar knows the kind of demand the fight has garnered and would have no qualms with putting it together, potentially for the promotions Jan. 29 event.

“I was talking to Strikeforce a little bit about it today,” said Cesar.

“No opponent has been named or anything. But he’s going to fight on that date, and hopefully Fedor (Emelianenko) will be part of it too. It could be a really exciting time.”

“That fight just hasn’t been offered to us like in an official manner yet,” he said. “I know ‘Mayhem’ goes on his websites and (says) Nick is ducking him and everything.

“It’s kind of hard to duck someone when you haven’t even been offered the fight. It’s just ‘Mayhem’ talking about that. Until it’s been offered, you can’t say yes or no.”

The question remains, what weight class would the fight be contested in? Diaz is the promotion’s 170 pound champion, and Miller is a 185-pound fighter. Jason has suggested that he cannot make the welterweight limit, which he has only done so once in 2005 in a bout against Georges St. Pierre. It was one and done for Miller, but Cesar also does not want to give Jason any unfair advantage by contesting the bout at 185-pounds.

“If that fight was offered, yeah, we’d probably take that fight,” he said. “We’d just have to look at what weight class it’s going to be in, and apparently, ‘Mayhem’ can’t make 170. We’re not going to accommodate going to 185. It doesn’t really make that much sense to call someone out, and the champ has to … go to your weight class.”

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the potential match up? Slowly but surely, it looks like we may be seeing this fight happen soon. Who do you favor? Sound off in the comment section below.

Here’s what the soft-spoken Coker had to say over at MMA Weekly: “We were hoping it would happen, but it didn’t happen, and we’re happy with Jacare being our world champion. I think he’s a great representative and a great fighter.”

I’m honestly disappointed that this idea never saw the light of day. The tournament format represents a bygone era, but several promotions have proven recently that it can still work in today’s MMA world. Strikeforce itself has held one-night tournaments in the past, although I felt their 135-pound Women’s Tournament suffered from time constraints. The fights themselves were quite entertaining, though. Perhaps an even bigger example would be Shine Fights, who I was extremely critical of in the weeks leading up to their one-night Lightweight Grand Prix only to be pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the show.

I think a Strikeforce Middleweight Tournament would have done a lot of good for the promotion. It would have given fans a lot of access to the Strikeforce talent, many of which the more-casual fans aren’t familiar with. It would have immediately established the winner and next contender/champion as a credible threat, since it takes a particular breed of athlete to fight and win twice in one night. And for the longtime MMA fans, it would have provided a rare bit of nostalgia in a sport that, for the most part, is still so relatively new. Maybe I’m looking at it with rose-tinted glasses because it happens so infrequently nowadays, but I think the tournament format is a great idea in short, controlled bursts.

But at the end of the day, I really can’t complain. Ronaldo Souza is as credible as they come, he’s a fantastic addition to the Strikeforce roster and I think he’s going to have a banner year in 2011. His standup keeps improving and his ground game is scary-good. He’s also a member of Black House, the fight camp that basically contains almost every single noteworthy Brazilian fighter currently fighting in MMA. While I would’ve liked to see him win a tournament in order to further enhance and establish his credibility, I think “Jacare” is poised to dominate the Strikeforce middleweight roster.

Looking forward, there are some huge match-ups for “Jacare” at 185. Just off the top of my head, I’d love to see Souza face Dan Henderson (if he decides to drop back down), Gegard Mousasi (he would have to drop back down too), Jason Miller, Tim Kennedy again, Cung Le, and Scott Smith. The Middleweight division clearly had enough talent for a tournament, and I think it would have benefited from a tournament, but ultimately it wasn’t in dire need of a tournament.

And what about you, fans and friends? Now that it’s finally been put to rest, what’s your opinion on the failed Strikeforce Middleweight Tournament?

When talking to MMA Weekly, Coker had this to say: “It’s something that we’re definitely looking at… I think we should wait until the beginning of the year, and let’s have another conversation on that because with Miller and Diaz I just couldn’t imagine the extra security that I’d probably need to get to make that fight happen. Nick, he could also fight some catchweight fights… He just came off a pretty brutal fight with K.J., so let him rest till the beginning of the year, and we can start having conversations about his next opponent, maybe the turning of 2011.”

To be honest, I’m growing tired of this “neither confirm nor deny” agenda that Strikeforce seems to have in regards to this match. I have no idea why this fight hasn’t seen the light of day yet. It just doesn’t make sense to me. Yes, there’s a time and a place for everything, but this is one of the few big “dream match” fights that Strikeforce has left. All the other ones are either in the Heavyweight division, contain a fighter from another organization, or both. Both Nick Diaz and Jason Miller are signed exclusively to Strikeforce, and both men are very popular lighter-weight fighters. Anticipation does make the heart grow fonder, but this is getting ridiculous now. Get an army of security; make it a 180-pound catchweight, and let Miller and Diaz tear each other apart.

In regards to the fight itself, I think both men would come out swinging and wouldn’t stop until somebody was left unconscious. There’s so much raw hatred building up between these two that it’s honestly begun to eclipse Nick’s former rivalry with KJ Noons. The advantage would almost certainly go to Nick Diaz in this situation, his uncanny ability to land hundreds of precision strikes throughout a fight makes him arguably one of the most dangerous strikers in MMA. The Diaz brothers have a punching style that looks like it doesn’t hurt and just consists of pitter-patter shots… but then you see things like Marcus Davis’s face after his UFC 118 fight with Nate Diaz or read things like KJ Noons having a broken jaw after his fight with Nick Diaz.

This fight needs to happen sooner rather than later. Strikeforce should capitalize on this fight as quickly as possible, it’s got an incredible backstory and it has all the makings of a “Fight of the Year” contender. I won’t pretend to know how much red tape needs to be cut through in order to make a fight like this possible, but I do know that I personally would get my biggest pair of scissors out and start shearing it all away before the hype dies down and fan interest moves on to the next bitter rivalry. 2011 looks to be a huge year for Strikeforce, I can’t think of a better way to kick-start it than to make this match a reality.

And what about you, fans and friends? Is this “wait and see” approach by Strikeforce beginning to annoy you too? When do you think this fight will happen?

In talking to Fight Hype, Miller said the following: “The latest is www.dontbescaredhomie.com . It’s a brand new website to let everyone know that somebody is scared and it ain’t me… He makes me want to donate to an Asperger Autism Charity. He makes me want to raise awareness about Autism because something is off about him; maybe it’s just all of the weed, I don’t know.”

I love how Jason Miller always seems more than willing to one-up anyone who tries to pick a fight with him. Jump him on national television (Diaz was involved in the infamous Strikeforce: “Nashville” brawl) and he’ll campaign for a fight with you openly and every chance he gets. Post your own verbal tirade against him online and he’ll launch an entire website against you. I shudder to think what Jason Miller will do next in order to up the ante, but I also can’t wait to see just how crazy this rivalry can get.

However, the question must be asked: did he really have to play the “Autism” card? That’s going a bit low even by Mayhem’s standards. Let’s not forget, UFC President Dana White landed himself in a huge amount of controversy (even for Dana White!) when he posted a video railing on Loretta Hunt, one of the main journalists behind the massive Sherdog.com website, and used several derogatory terms for homosexuals numerous times during his fiery, obscenity-filled tirade. The video caused such a backlash that it was pulled from YouTube while White ultimately had to issue an apology to the gay community.

I’m not suggesting that what Mayhem did was similar, it’s not even close. But it’s in the same ballpark. Calling someone an idiot is fine. Insinuating that someone has autism, when you clearly mean to make “autistic” synonymous with idiocy… that’s incredibly insensitive. Jason Miller is brash, talkative, and childish, some would even call him arrogant. Whether or not he went too far in insinuating that Diaz is so stupid that he must have autism… that’s open to debate. But if you want my opinion, if Miller didn’t “go too far”, he certainly came within shouting distance.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking for Miller to keep it squeaky-clean. This rivalry has been dirty from the start, and I think it’s going to get even dirtier before this fight finally happens. All I’m asking is for Mayhem to keep it clean on this particular subject. There’s a way to revel in your opponent’s mental deficiencies without comparing him to the mentally handicapped. Because doing just that makes you look like the idiot instead of him, and it also makes you look like an incredibly insensitive tool. So play nice, Jason Miller. I never thought I’d ever say that, but here we are and there it is.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of Miller’s recent comments?

“In Strikeforce? [I want to fight] Jacare (Ronaldo Souza). I hate him. I mean, I always want to fight Nick Diaz, but he ran away and beat up [KJ] Noons, who’s a blown-up 170-pounder. [A shot at the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship is] what I want. Will they give it to me? I don’t know. I want millions of dollars, but I fight Mixed Martial Arts. It’s very difficult to do.”

I’ll always be a fan of Jason Miller, although I wouldn’t call myself a “Mayhem Monkey”. I get a kick out of his shtick, if you will. Miller is just so entertaining that it’s impossible not to take notice of him. It’s also pretty hard not to like the guy, he’s incredibly charismatic and usually has amazing fight entrances. But most importantly of all, Jason Miller is a legitimate athlete with a lot of skill. The man is not a flash in the pan, he became popular through his crazed antics but he became respectable by consistently trying to fight the best and challenging for a championship on more than one occasion.

I’m really looking forward to Jacare/Mayhem 3 if that is indeed what’s next in store for newly-minted Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Ronaldo Souza. I think this is a rivalry that deserves the main stage, it’s become incredibly heated and decidedly bitter. Both men bring out the best in each other whenever they mix it up, they deserve to have that highlighted on a major Strikeforce show. I still think Miller can finally beat Souza, even though it will likely be the hardest thing he’ll ever have to do in his MMA career.

But as much as I enjoy “Mayhem”, I don’t see how he beats Nick Diaz unless Diaz moves up to Middleweight and gasses due to putting on fifteen pounds of fat. If Miller drops down to 170 or if the bout is a catchweight, Diaz crushes Miller each and every time. There’s no way that Miller has a striking advantage, not when Diaz throws hundreds of strikes per fight and lands a large percentage of them, not when he’s dislocating jaws with those fists, not when he just got done out-boxing a fighter that’s actually spent time as a professional boxer. Miller’s best chances lie on the ground, and even then I’d pick Nick Diaz to win by submission. Diaz has Miller beat in every facet of the game, and this is coming from someone who routinely enjoys watching Jason Miller perform.

But at the end of the day, I think Miller deserves his shot at revenge, both against Jacare and against Diaz. I think he’ll win the first one and lose the second one, but he’s earned the right to try. Those two fights could easily headline their own card or be a worthy co-main event to a CBS card (if a card on CBS ever becomes a reality again). All in all, the future is still quite bright for “Mayhem”. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next for him.

And what about you, fans and friends? How do you think “Mayhem” would do against Ronaldo Souza and Nick Diaz?

He likes his style; the way he fight’s. And it’s with the utmost respect that Miller desires to fight the strikeforce welterweight champion… Or could it be because Diaz and the entire Cesar Gracie clan jumped Miller in a Stockton beat down on national television earlier this year? Well that’s certainly one theory.

Ever since Nick and “Mayhem” came to blows at the CBS event in April, which featured Diaz teammates Gilbert Melendez and Jake Shields retain their titles on the card, everyone has been asking for this fight to happen.

Everyone, except Nick Diaz, who claims to have better things to worry about, like real challengers, improving his nun-chuck skills and figuring out clever new ways to cheat pre-fight drug tests time and time again.

While their history, Miller and Diaz, has been well documented, with both not having exactly the most pleasant things to say regarding one another, it looked a bout between the two would never come to terms. Diaz contests that Miller, should he want to fight Diaz, should move down to the welterweight division–which is something that Jason has not done since dropping a unanimous decision to Georges St. Pierre in 2005, in an emaciated state.

However, Scott Coker has taken a new liking to the bout, considering that the two went at it again, just last night in fact, following Diaz successful title defense against another rival, in KJ Noons.

“That would be a great fight to promote,” Coker said while speaking to MMAJunkie.com, who was on the scene at San Jose at the HP Pavillion, following the event. “It’s not hard to promote that fight. But we’ll see if they really want to do fight in the cage. It’s one thing to have them bump in to each other in the hallway and call each other names. But if they really want to fight in the cage, if anybody can put it together, we can put it together.”

Diaz is coming on the heels of a five-round, hard fought battle with Noons, so Coker indicates that we’ll have to let the dust settle first before Strikeforce makes any plans again, concerning their 170-pound champion.

“Let these guys heal up,” he said. “When they come back, we’ll have a conversation. I will say this, though: the fights that we’ve wanted to put together, we’ve been able to put together. We’ll have that conversation.

And concerning which weight-class should the California natives compete in, the Strikeforce CEO that we will know sooner, rather than later, “I’ll answer that in two weeks.”

So, MMA peeps, is this the next fight you would like to see the two enigmatic fighters compete in? Miller is coming on the heels of a two fight win streak, with his last fight being against legend Kazushi Sakuraba, submitting him for the first time in his career, with an arm-triangle choke just a little over 2 minutes in the opening round, at DREAM 16. Evangelista “Cyborg” and the winner of Paul Daley versus Scott Smith were also said to be on deck next for Diaz, but who do you think the Stockton native should fight? Sound off in the comment section below.

Bobby Lashley vs. Dave Bautista: Yes, it’s a freakshow. But it’s a great one, it’s the right kind of freakshow. Dave Bautista may only be good for one big ratings spike, but if it’s on CBS, a fight with Lashley would likely do some huge numbers by attracting a large number of pro wrestling fans. Even as an MMA fan I’d like to see this fight. It has the potential to be utterly atrocious if it goes past the first round and both men gas out, but the first few minutes should be very exciting. It’s a gamble, but a smart one, and it’s far more likely to pay off if it happens on CBS.

Ronaldo Souza vs. Jason Miller: As one of the most charismatic fighters in Strikeforce, Miller should be a big help in bringing in the ratings. Miller attracts a lot of casual fans, and even the hardcore fans would be very interested in this fight, since it’s the third of a trilogy that has seen some very close encounters. If Miller can finally beat “Jacare”, he’d probably put on one of the best performances of his career while doing it. If Souza can beat “Mayhem”, he becomes even more of a star and even more of a valid champion. All parties, including CBS, win with this fight.

Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers: If Josh Barnett really does want to make good on his promise of ripping off heads in Strikeforce, he’ll have ample opportunity to do so against the heavy-handed Brett Rogers. This fight would be a stand-up war through and through, the kind that anyone can really get into, and the added name value of both stars would be a perfect fit for CBS. Someone is going to be adding another epic KO to their highlight reel in this fight, and it would serve as an awesome co-main event.

But of course, my main event for my dream CBS card is…

Fabricio Werdum vs. Fedor Emelianenko: I know, I know. I’ve loudly stated in the past that Werdum deserves his shot at Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem. But this is the fight that everybody wants to see, and this is the fight that needs to happen if Strikeforce wants to get back on and stay on the CBS network. It’s only the rematch to the biggest upset in MMA history. If CBS wants to set the kind of ratings records they achieved when they had Kimbo Slice headlining EliteXC cards, they and Strikeforce need to make Fedor/Werdum 2 on CBS.

And that’s my card, fans and friends. Now it’s time for you to play fantasy match-maker: what did you think of my picks, and what do you think would be the best card Strikeforce could assemble in order to persuade CBS to hold another event on their network?

According to a report by Sherdog, the primetime network broadcast of “DREAM.16”, which was shown on the Tokyo Broadcasting System, pulled in an average 11.9 rating with a peak of 18.1, which occurred during the hastily-added Satoshi Ishii vs. Ikuhisa Minowa bout. According to the report, this placed DREAM in fourth place for the night, losing out to a variety show, a mystery series, and a TV showing of a 2006 film. The report also states that the rating is in the “good but not great” range, and that all eyes are on the end-of-year super-show “Dynamite” to determine once and for all if Japanese MMA will remain on network TV and in the public consciousness for the foreseeable future.

I think DREAM.16 was a mixed bag, but ultimately one that I enjoyed quite a lot. It is a card I spent several hours watching in the absolute dead of the night, after all. Placing fourth may not have been the resounding trumpet call return-to-arms that many hardcore Japanese MMA fans hoped it would be, but it is a good number and, at the very least, DREAM cracked the top five. The bad thing about that, though, is that TV officials are so fickle these days no matter what continent or country they hail from. Ratings can always be bigger, and if “Dynamite” disappoints, we’ll be looking at the very real possibility of MMA being pulled off of national TV.

I can’t stress enough how harsh of a blow that would be to DREAM as well as Japanese MMA as a whole. Putting it plainly, Japanese MMA can’t afford to become an “underground sport” again. At least, not if it wants to have any relevancy in the global MMA scene. Shinya Aoki once famously said (and I’m paraphrasing here) that Japan is now “a colony” to American Mixed Martial Arts. And I have to agree with him. The prognosis is looking bleaker and bleaker. Almost all of DREAM’s best stars have found work and relevancy in other promotions, and DREAM has lacked a true breakout star, one that gained his fame and relevancy in DREAM and DREAM alone, since its inception.

I honestly hope that “Dynamite” demolishes the competition and that DREAM is given another shot at wowing the general public, because at the end of the day, DREAM is the flag-bearer for Japanese MMA. It may pale in comparison to PRIDE FC, it may not have history behind it like the longer-running but smaller-scale MMA promotions, but right now it is undoubtedly the biggest promotion in Japan and has the most money available to produce the best possible cards. Both due to its importance and the fact that I’ve liked DREAM’s outings more often than not, I wish them all the best and hope that Japanese MMA can make an epic comeback.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think the future holds? Did DREAM 16 simply prolong the inevitable, or was it a step in the right direction?

The 2009 event opened up to a large audience, and has become a propellant in the mixed martial arts world, opening up the eyes to a mainstream audience, by the community taking leaps and bounds in order to legitimize itself as not only a legitimate sport, but one that deserves that same sort of recognition that most others receive, here in these United States.

While some categories have changed, in order to be politically correct, must stay the same. Voting continues until November 26, where till then you can cast your votes online at All winners are determined by a fan vote, and ballots can be cast through Nov. 26 at www.worldmmaawards.com.

The full list, which was formatted by MMAJunkie.com, of finalists includes:

CHARLES “MASK” LEWIS FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Anderson Silva
* Brock Lesnar
* Frankie Edgar
* Jose Aldo
* Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

FIGHT OF THE YEAR

* Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 117
* Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin at UFC 116
* Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung at WEC 48
* Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116
* Jorge Santiago vs. Kazuo Misaki at Sengoku 14

KO OF THE YEAR

* Anthony Njokuani vs. Chris Horodecki at WEC 45
* Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 110
* Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Lyoto Machida at UFC 113
* Mike Russow vs. Todd Duffee at UFC 114
* Rich Franklin vs. Chuck Liddell at UFC 115

SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR

* Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida at UFC 117
* Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116
* Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon at UFC 108
* Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 118
* Fabricio Werdum vs. Fedor Emelianenko at “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum”

BEST PROMOTION

* Bellator
* DREAM
* Strikeforce
* UFC
* WEC

LEADING MAN OF THE YEAR

* Bjorn Rebney, Bellator founder and CEO
* Dana White, UFC president
* Joe Silva, UFC VP of talent relations
* Michael Schiavello, HDNet broadcaster
* Scott Coker, Strikeforce founder and CEO

INTERNATIONAL FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Alistair Overeem
* Dan Hardy
* George Sotiropoulos
* John Hathaway
* Shinya Aoki

BREAKTHROUGH FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Charles Oliveira
* Evan Dunham
* George Sotiropoulos
* John Hathaway
* Jon Jones

FEMALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos
* Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii
* Miesha Tate
* Sarah Kaufman
* Zoila Frausto

COACH OF THE YEAR

* Cesar Gracie
* Firas Zahabi
* Greg Jackson
* Rafael Cordeiro
* Shawn Tompkins

GYM OF THE YEAR

* American Kickboxing Academy
* American Top Team
* Black House MMA
* Greg Jackson’s Submission Fighting
* Wand Fight Team

RING GIRL OF THE YEAR

* Arianny Celeste
* Brittney Palmer
* Chandella Powell
* Natalie Skyy
* Rachelle Leah

BEST LIFESTYLE CLOTHING BRAND

* Affliction
* Fight Chix
* RVCA
* Silverstar
* TapouT

REFEREE OF THE YEAR

* “Big” John McCarthy
* Dan Miragliotta
* Herb Dean
* Josh Rosenthal
* Mario Yamasaki

MOST MEMORABLE RING ENTRANCE

* Anderson Silva
* Clay Guida
* Jason “Mayhem” Miller
* Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal
* Tom Lawlor

BEST TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT BRAND

* Everlast MMA
* Fairtex
* Hayabusa
* TapouT
* Venum

BEST TECHNICAL CLOTHING BRAND

* Bad Boy
* Hayabusa
* Jaco
* TapouT
* Venum

MEDIA SOURCE OF THE YEAR

* “Inside MMA” on HDNet
* MMAjunkie.com
* MMAWeekly.com
* MMAFighting.com
* Sherdog.com

MMA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

* Aaron “Tru” Teweles, Freelance
* Ariel Helwani, MMAFighting.com/Versus.com
* Conner Cordova, MMAReligion.com
* Gareth A. Davies, Telegraph.com
* John Morgan, MMAjunkie.com

So, MMA peeps, any surprises here? Anyone you would have liked to seen in some of these categories? Who do you think will take home some of the honors of the night? Sound off in the comments section below.

Here’s how it all went down at “DREAM.16” at the Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan (results courtesy of MMA 4 Real). Light-Heavyweight Championship: Gegard Mousasi defeats Tatsuya Mizuno via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 6:10 of Round 1. Jason Miller defeats Kazushi Sakuraba via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 2:09 of Round 1. Shinya Aoki defeats Marcus Aurelio via Unanimous Decision. Satoshi Ishii defeats Ikuhisa Minowa via Unanimous Decision. Hiroyuki Takaya defeats Chase Beebe via KO (Punches) at 1:45 of Round 1. Michihiro Omigawa defeats Cole Escovedo via Submission (Inverted Armbar) at 2:30 of Round 1. Joachim Hansen defeats Hideo Tokoro via Submission (Triangle Choke) at 2:48 of Round 1. Kazuyuki Miyata defeats Takeshi Inoue via Unanimous Decision. Mitsuhiro Ishida defeats Akiyo Nishiura via Split Decision. Yusuke Kawaguchi defeats James Thompson via Split Decision.

I was lucky enough to catch the event as it was just getting underway. Or perhaps “unlucky” is a more fitting term, because the first few opening fights were quite boring. Kawaguchi and Thompson both gassed so badly in their fights that it was downright laughable. Ishida did nothing but hold onto his opponent and proved that the “lay and pray” epidemic is sweeping across the world and not simply confined to America. The first fight I honestly had any interest in was the Hansen fight, and even that fight got downright boring as the majority of it saw Hideo Tokoro recuperate from several below-the-belt shots.

That’s another strange thing about this card- it would appear that several folks really wanted to play dirty at “DREAM.16”. There were a lot of groin shots during the opening matches, to the point where I wondered if the tormented ghost of Cheick Kongo had been randomly possessing the DREAM 16 participants. I know I shouldn’t laugh, but it happened so frequently that it was all I could really do.

I think Omigawa’s dramatic submission over Escovedo kicked the card into high gear, because once it happened, all the fights that followed were actually very enjoyable. Takaya’s dramatic KO of Chase Beebe was one of the best moments of the night. The fight between Minowaman and Ishii was a bit on the long side and came dangerously close to boring at times, but ultimately I enjoyed it. Shinya Aoki may also soon be criticized for competing in a boring fighter after he recently criticized wrestling-based American Mixed Martial Artists for their boring fight style, but I found his victory over Aurelio quite convincing and decently entertaining.

It broke my heart to see Sakuraba lose, but I’m glad that Miller got a big win over his idol. I got a big kick out of both men’s entrances, as usual, they spared no expense to give fight fans a treat. I really wanted Saku to win this fight, but I think I as well as just about everyone else knew that Miller was a step or two above him at this point in Saku’s career. I don’t know where Sakuraba goes from here, but so long as he keeps fighting I’ll keep watching.

Mousasi’s victory surprised absolutely no one and was over very quickly, so I have little to say about it. I am glad he’s back in the win column, though. Overall, I really enjoyed DREAM 16. If this is their last card in a while or their last card entirely, they didn’t go down without a fight.

And what about you, fans and friends? What did you think of DREAM 16?

The first bout sees a clash of WEC veterans, as Hiroyuki Takaya will take on Chase Beebe. Beebe is a former WEC Bantamweight Champion that has fallen on very hard times: he’s just barely recovered from a five-fight losing streak. Meanwhile, Takaya is coming off of the biggest win of his career, a dramatic KO win over former DREAM Lightweight Champion Joachim Hansen that broke a two-fight losing streak. It’s a standard submission vs. striking match-up, but with the history and abilities of both men, it should be a good one.

The next fight will see Mitsuhiro Ishida take on Akiyo Nishiura. Ishida is a four-fight veteran of DREAM as well as a veteran of the PRIDE FC “Bushido” events. He most recently won his featherweight debut, and has nineteen wins in his nine-year professional MMA career. Akiyo is a six-year veteran that has competed mostly in the Japanese-based Shooto promotion, and most recently TKO’d Hideo Tokoro at DREAM’s fourteenth event to even his record in DREAM to 1-1.

The final fight pits Cole Escovedo against Michihiro Omigawa. Although Omigawa’s record stands at 11-8, he’s won his last four fights. Escovedo most recently saw his five-fight winning streak come to an end when newcomer Michael McDonald KO’d him in July of this year. At his zenith, Escovedo was the first WEC Featherweight Champion.

With these three new fights, the DREAM 16 card now stands as such (bear in mind that the Aoki/Aurelio fight is rumored to be in serious jeopardy): Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Chase Beebe, Michihiro Omigawa vs. Cole Escovedo, Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Akiyo Nishiura, Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Jason Miller, Shinya Aoki vs. Marcus Aurelio, Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Takeshi Inoue, Hideo Tokoro vs. Joachim Hansen, and Gegard Mousasi vs. Tatsuya Mizuno.

I think DREAM lost a not-insignificant amount of momentum with this card when some of the announced fights started coming undone and the announced fighters started pulling out, but I applaud their efforts to roll with the punches and I think these three Featherweight match-ups definitely gives the show a boost.

I also like that they’re relying heavily on the smaller weight classes to get them through this tough time. DREAM found a lot of success with their Lightweight and Featherweight Grand Prix tournaments, with both giving fight fans some fantastic fights and several can’t-miss moments. With the talent they’ve assembled in these three matches, I think all the Featherweights will shine and become the standout part of the DREAM 16 event, even moreso than the highly intriguing Miller/Sakuraba fight.

So DREAM is not dead yet, and I’m pretty happy about it. These new fights make sense, and while they admittedly don’t feature the best talent in the world, the talent is being put to good use and correctly paired up against opponents that should make for entertaining fights. If the recent Shine Fights Lightweight Grand Prix proved anything, it’s that sometimes making the best out of a bad situation can result in a really enjoyable show even if it’s not crammed with Triple-A talent. I’ll be rooting for DREAM, and I hope this event is a success.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of the current DREAM card, and what fights are you most looking forward to?

5. KJ Noons

I know this could be considered cheating, since the fight has already been announced, but I’m looking forward to this fight so much that it just had to be included on this list. There’s a huge amount of bad blood between the two, to the point where both men were involved in an infamous post-fight brawl in the defunct Elite XC promotion. This fight will really put Diaz to the test and will once and for all legitimize him as one of the top Welterweights in the world.

4. Jake Shields

It’s not very likely since Shields is headed to the UFC and will probably never set foot back in Strikeforce, based on how Strikeforce mistreated him leading up to his victory over Dan Henderson, but this would be a great fight between two top Welterweights. Shields may be able to take Diaz down, but Diaz’s ground game is fantastic. Diaz also holds a significant striking advantage, but Shields has been stopped due to strikes only once in his entire career, at the very beginning of his career in fact. Both men are just starting to be taken seriously as “best in the world” athletes, so this would be an important stepping stone for whoever won.

3. Cung Le

Now this is a fight that anybody can get behind. Both men are so far removed from traditional striking that “unorthodox” barely begins to describe how they put their combinations together. Cung Le’s style looks flashy and ineffectual, when in truth it does major damage and has given Le all seven of his wins by (T)KO. Diaz’s peppering style of “punches in bunches” makes his punches seem weak, when in truth they do large cumulative damage and have given Diaz more wins by (T)KO than by Submissions and Decisions combined. I have no doubt that we’d see some seriously crazy things in this fight, so I’d love to see it happen.

2. Georges St. Pierre

Again, this is very unlikely but it’s a fantastic fight on paper. The number of natural Welterweights with good submission games that Georges St. Pierre has beaten can be counted on one hand. GSP would dominate with the takedown, but every takedown is another opportunity for Diaz to latch onto an arm or try for a choke. I even think GSP would have problems going for a takedown, given Diaz’s long reach and penchant for using it to the best of his ability. I honestly think GSP would win this one, but I’d be pulling for Nick. Also, I think Nick’s got a lot better of a shot than people like Dan Hardy and Thiago Alves, who lacked a good ground game, or people like Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck, who lacked good striking.

But my top pick simply has got to go to…

1. Jason Miller

“Mayhem” wants this fight to happen. Diaz wants this fight to happen. In regards to bad blood, it doesn’t get much badder than this. Both men just hate each other. Both men would step into the Strikeforce cage looking to seriously hurt each other, so I think they would both show up in the best shape of their lives, having gone through one of their toughest training camps ever. This could even be a champion-versus-champion fight by the time it takes place, stranger things have happened. But no matter when it goes down, look for Jason Miller vs. Nick Diaz to be an awesome, awesome fight.

So there are my picks, fans and friends. Who would you like to see face off against Nick Diaz?

On September 25, Jason Miller will make his return to the Japanese-based DREAM, the spiritual successor to the legendary PRIDE FC promotion, at the “DREAM.16” event. The card was already set to be one of DREAM’s strongest showings since their formation in 2008, with a list of confirmed and rumored fighters like Gegard Mousasi, Shinya Aoki, Caol Uno, Norifumi Yamamoto, and others. Miller had previously competed at DREAM’s third, fourth, and ninth events, gaining notoriety for his heated rivalry with the man who is now the Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, Ronaldo Souza. Standing across the DREAM ring will be one of the greatest MMA fighters to ever compete in this sport: Kazushi Sakuraba.

If there’s one person that embodies PRIDE FC moreso than all the other greats that came and went through that historic promotion, it’s Kazushi Sakuraba. He was never the most imposing physical specimen, and he was never that good of a striker. But his wrestling was unparalleled for his time, and he possessed and still possesses more heart than almost any other fighter walking the planet. Sakuraba has fallen on hard times since his glory days of being the “Gracie Hunter” and a cultural icon in Japan, but a fourteen-year veteran still consistently trying to fight the best, even if he loses, just to prove that he still can? How can you not respect and admire someone like that?

And the crazy thing of it is, Sakuraba may have it in him to beat Jason Miller. I think “Mayhem” is a lot more likely to win, but you can never count out Sakuraba. He’s pulled out some amazing victories out of seemingly nowhere, and I think that the possibility exists that he could catch Miller unawares and slap on a kimura or armbar. Miller’s ground game has failed him in the past, as his one-sided losses to Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields can attest to. I don’t think Sakuraba will go on some sort of Couture-esque rebirth and find himself back atop the rankings, but I’m pulling for him.

Then again, the heart says “Saku” but the brain thinks “Miller”. Miller has faced some greats in the past, he may have never really beaten any of them, but he won’t be star struck against a living legend like Sakuraba. Miller’s ground game may not be world-class, but it’d be wrong to call it horrible. It’s served him well for the most part. I mean, he has a majority of his wins by submission, after all. It may not be on the level of GSP or Shields, but it does get the job done. And he does have six (T)KO’s on his record.

When it comes right down to it, this will be a fight between a declining legend and a nine-year veteran that still hasn’t realized his full potential. A world with Jason Miller as the Strikeforce Middleweight Champion sounds entirely plausible if he can get string some wins together, and I think the road back to title contention leads through Kazushi Sakuraba.

But what do you think, fans and friends? How do you see this fight going down?

DREAM, one of the more popular Japan based organizations following the demise of Pride, is holding an event for September 25th in Nagoya, Japan–a card that was intended to be headlined by current featherweight (139 pounds) champion, Bibiano Fernandes.

According to MMAFighting.com, Fernandes was intended to make a title defense against Michihiro Omigawa, however declined to fight when he was still yet to be paid his purse from his last fight, a successful title defense against former DREAM lightweight champion Joachim Hansen.

The bout took place in March, and according to an interview the Brazilian had done with Tatame (a Brazilian based website and magazine covering mixed martial arts) Fernandes hasn’t seen one dime yet. The promotion has had many issues in regards to paying their fighters accordingly, or even in a timely matter. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza has yet to see his compensation after his last match with Jason Miller in May of 2009, and neither has veteran Gary Goodridge since his drubbing defeat against former DREAM middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi in late 2009.

And while the obvious approach for the promotion would be “cut and run” should they not be able to come up with the money, Fernandes can hold one thing over DREAM exec’s heads: one more fight, which he is contractually obligated to, since earning the featherweight title following the tournament’s end in October of last year where he was crowned champion, after an 8-man tournament concluded when Bibiano defeated Japan’s own Hiroyuki Takaya, via split decision.

“Dream called me two days ago to offer me a fight at September 25, but I said I won’t fight until they pay me for my last fight,” Fernandes said while speaking with TATAME. “I have family, I have a wife and I can’t work without getting paid. I’ll only fight [for DREAM] again when they pay me for my last fight.”

Here’s to another DREAM fighter moonlighting as a Japan fighter by day, and a Strikeforce debutant by night.

But first, here’s how the Middleweight roster breaks down. Looking at the title picture from left to right, the EA Sports Middleweight roster features Benji Radach, Lyman Good, Matt Lindland, Luke Rockhold, Frank Trigg, Joe Riggs, Kazuo Misaki, Scott Smith, Murilo Rua, Tim Kennedy, Pat Miletich, Jake Shields, Nick Thompson, Melvin Manhoef, Robbie Lawler, Dan Henderson, Gegard Mousasi, Jason Miller, Cung Le, Nick Diaz, Frank Shamrock, and Ronaldo Souza.

It should be noted that eight fighters in the Middleweight division are carry-overs from the already-announced Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight divisions. There’s some debate going around the internet gaming forums as to whether or not this is a cheap move in order to cut the time down on coding and creating different fighters, or a good way to ensure quality cross-division super-fights. I personally think it’s a little of both: I think the roster is a little limited, but the fact that you can play as your favorite fighter in several different weight classes mostly balances that out. Plus, with download-a-fighter being included, I think this game’s roster will be massive once people start creating famous MMA fighters are putting them online for anybody and everybody to download.

Much like the UFC including the famous Madison Square Garden in their “UFC Undisputed” games, it’s recently been confirmed that EA Sports MMA will have the Cowboys Stadium as an in-game venue despite the fact that a major Mixed Martial Arts event has never been booked there. An online image has already surfaced, which you can view here. Even as a huge fan of UFC Undisputed 2009, I think Madison Square Garden was really under-played in both UFC 2009 and 2010. Not so with Cowboys Stadium- the images revealed so far look downright amazing. I may actually get goosebumps when my Create-a-Fighter either defends or tries to get at the Strikeforce Championship in that mega-arena.

The last time I was this excited for a sports game, my hopes met quite the rude awakening. So, even with all the hype I’m buying into, I know that there’s still a chance for EA Sports MMA to let me down in much the same way that UFC Undisputed 2010 let me down. But until that day, I have to say…this is shaping up to be a genre-defining game. Every time I hear something new about this game, it’s something I think I could find myself enjoying immensely. When October 19 hits, I’ve got a pretty good feeling that there’s going to be a new Undisputed Champion of Mixed Martial Arts video games.

But what about you, fans and friends? How high would you rate your anticipation of “EA Sports MMA”?

In his fight with Tim Kennedy, the man who got the nickname “Alligator” due to his penchant for trapping opponents in unbreakable submission holds found himself unable to get his opponent to the ground. In fact, it was Kennedy who landed the takedowns and scored the Ground and Pound, however brief it was. For nearly five full rounds, Souza had nothing to fall back on except his ever-improving stand-up game. While it’s true that Kennedy landed more strikes throughout their five-round war, it was very apparent that Souza hit harder and did more damage. At least, that must have been how the judges saw it, since Jacare clinched a Unanimous Decision victory.

Against King Mo, Rafael Cavalcante would do everything in his power not to let his fight go to the judges. The first round was a back-and-forth affair that saw Cavalcante get the better of Mo in the stand-up, and all but completely avoid Mo’s takedowns. Aside from a few impressive slams that Feijaio immediately got up from, the man lauded as one of the most decorated collegiate wrestlers to ever transition to MMA seemed unable to implement his ground game on the Brazilian Jui Jitsu black belt. The second round saw Mo get the better of Cavalcante utilizing some very powerful body punches. Heading into the third round, Mo’s renewed sense of confidence proved to be his undoing, as Cavalcante was able to nail a mammoth knee from the Muay Thai clinch position, which was followed up by a barrage of strikes that ultimately led to King Mo being dead on his feet, prompting famous MMA referee “Big” John McCarthy to step in and save Mo from any more punishment.

Looking forward, both men have several good fights lined up for them. Souza could take his rivalry with the enigmatic Jason Miller to new heights with a third fight, this time with the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship on the line. After promising to make several changes, King Mo could find himself in a position to rematch Rafael Cavalcante very soon. Fights with Dan Henderson and Gegard Mousasi would also be great fights I’d love to see.

But no matter what happens next, these two wins give Strikeforce two champions that they can be very proud of. Even though he struggled with Tim Kennedy, Ronaldo Souza is still a wizard on the ground, and his stand-up is improving with every single fight. Rafael Cavalcante was once thought of as a sure-fire prodigy, and despite having a few setbacks that he has now overcome, the impossibility of taking him down combined with his very powerful striking should be enough for him to break the chain of Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champions losing their belt in their first few fights. Both men are humble fighters with loads of skill, and their future in Strikeforce has never looked brighter. “Houston” was a night for new beginnings, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

And how about you, fans and friends? How impressed were you by Ronaldo Souza and Rafael Cavalcante? What (or more likely who) do you think is next for the two new champions?

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (203.75) vs. Rafael Cavalcante (203.5)

Tim Kennedy (185) vs. Ronaldo Souza (184.75)

Karl James Noons (156.25) vs. Jorge Gurgel (154.75)

Bobby Lashley (246) vs. Chad Griggs (228.5)

Daniel Cormier (249) vs. Jason Riley (256.5)

Andre Galvao (170.75) vs. Jorge Patino (170.8)

Rocky Long (146.25) vs. Vinicius Magalhaes (144.5)

Kier Gooch (155.5) vs. Adam Schindler (155.5)

Jose Santibanez (154.25) vs. Reynaldo Trujillo (155.25)

Humberto DeLeon (127.25) vs. Chad Robichaux (131)

Chad Cook (205.25) vs. Arteneus Young (204)

As you can see, many fighters took generous use of the one-pound-over allowance given to non-title fights. And still, several fighters couldn’t make the weight. To his credit, Gurgel immediately forfeited his right to decline the match after “KJ” Noons weighed in over the weight limit; the fight will go on as planned. Vinicius Magalhaes also accepted a fight with his opponent that also weighed in over the weight-limit, except his bout with Rocky Long has now been changed to a catchweight fight. Chad Robichaux also missed the mark the first time around, but he was given an extra hour to cut the weight and allowed to try again. He did manage to make the weight the second time around, so his fight with Humberto DeLeon will go forward as planned.

In regards to three Strikeforce fighters missing weight, I don’t think this is all that abnormal, or that it paints Strikeforce in a negative light. MMA fighters seem to miss weight more and more often nowadays. For whatever reason, more and more people are struggling to make their weight class, and the only thing that’s saving them is the one-pound-over rule. I’m not criticizing Strikeforce in particular, but the MMA band of brothers as a whole. Fight in your natural weight class, guys.

Considering all of that, I’m still looking forward to “Houston”. King Mo and Cavalcante should put on a great match. King Mo has some awesome wrestling, but “Feijao” belongs to the prestigious Black House team, home to the Nogueira brothers, two of the best ground wizards you could ever hope to have as training partners. Both Mo and Cavalcante have serious punching power, too, so this one might end early and end brutally.

I’m also excited for the Middleweight Championship fight, even though I generally think that just throwing two guys into a title fight devalues the significance of the championship. However, I think you couldn’t ask for a better Middleweight Champion than Ronaldo Souza. He’s very energetic, has a great ground game, and his striking continues to improve. Plus, he could always face Jason Miller again, the two have quite a rivalry going ever since Souza beat Miller at DREAM 4 and Miller cracked Souza’s skull open at DREAM 9 with an illegal (though inadvertent) soccer kick to the dome. I’m even excited to see Bobby Lashley, on the off chance that Chad Griggs will beat him or, at the very least, make the fight competitive.

And what about you, fans and friends? Now that the fights are official and there’s nothing holding this card back, how excited are you for Strikeforce: “Houston”?

It all started last April, Strikeforce held it’s first event in Nashville, Tenn., on a CBS card at that, sporting a record three championship bouts with such stars as Gilbert Melendez battling Shinya Aoki for the lightweight strap, 205′ers Muhammed Lawal and Gegard Mousasi, and then middleweights Jake Shields and Dan Henderson.

After his upset victory over the former dual Pride champion, Jake Shields, who know finds himself in the thick of things in the UFC’s welterweight division after leaving the San Jose based organization for their rival promotion, was greeted by former foe Jason “Mayhem” (how ironic) Miller.

One thing let to another, bada bing bada boom, and a full out brawl erupted in the cage, with Nick Diaz at the helm.

As Miller was pounced on by the whole Cesar Gracie crew on national television, he didn’t hide his sour feelings towards the situation, particularly Nick Diaz, when he appeared on UFC commentator, comedian, and marijuana advoate Joe Rogan’s UStream show, stating simply “[expletive] Nick Diaz”, stating that the 170-pound Strikeforce champion helps perpetuate a stereotype of a glorified “gangster” lifestyle, by jumping Miller in the cage and just his all around sour attitude.

While his tirades of the UFC veteran seemed funny on several occasions, one man wasn’t laughing…a Mr. Nick Diaz, who caught the spectacle and applied with a Youtube video of his own, which most certainly did not help his image of a “gangster”, after going on his own rampage of “F” bombs and mothers alike.

And in the end, he criticized Miller for calling him out, suggesting that he should pick on someone his own size, and if they fight should come to fruition, Miller, the former Icon Sport Middleweight champion, should make the drop to 170.

Puzzling, considering Diaz has come close within striking range of the 185-pound weight class several times, meeting both Frank Shamrock and Scott Smith in catch weight bouts, above the 170-pound limit and a little bellow the middleweight’s cap-off.

So is this just smoke being blown around? Well if there’s smoke, there’s fire. And if there’s fire, than either Nick Diaz is passing time between his fights enjoying certain “herbal medicinals” in his spare time, or we have a legitament fight on our hands that fans will surely clamor for, and one that Miller is itching for.

So, should Nick take the leap to possibly meet Miller in the suggested middleweight tourney ocurring sometime in the foreseeable future?

Or should Miller make the back to 170–a weight he hasn’t seen since facing Georges St. Pierre some years ago in the UFC, on a short notice call.

The suspensions come as a result of the post-fight brawl that broke out in the cage at “Strikeforce: Nashville” at the Bridgestone Arena on April 17.

The five individuals will not be named according to their regulations, until all administrative actions are finalized.

According to Loretta Hunt, “the nine-member commission voted to propose $20,000 fines and nine-month suspensions for all five individuals at a formal disciplinary hearing. However, these initial figures can all be reduced to fines ranging between $5,000-$7,500 and three-month suspensions if the recipients do not contest the proceedings and agree to “settle this matter with a consent order.”

In three of the cases, the commission found cause to move forward with a formal hearing for a civil penalty of $20,000 each as well as associated costs and a nine-month suspension. The individuals can agree to a “consent order” which would allow them to bypass the hearing and agree to a three-month suspension and a reduced fine of $5,000.

The fourth individual can receive the same deal but with a higher fine of $7,500. That is due to the fact that the individual did not respond to the commission’s inquiry as instructed.

The fifth individual also gets the $7,500 settlement fine because of lack of proper response. This individual is not licensed with the state and the complaint alleges “unlicensed activity” according to Christopher Garrett who is the director of communications for the state of Tennessee.

The brawl was live on CBS after Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields (25-4-1) had defended his title. During the post-fight interview “Mayhem” Jason Miller (23-6) interrupted Jake to demand a rematch.

This led to shoving and eventually turned into a brawl. Also involved in the brawl were Strikeforce lightweight champion “El Nino” Gilbert Melendez (18-2), “Diablo” Nick Diaz (21-8) and UFC fighter Nate Diaz (11-6).

Stay tuned to Fighters.com and MMA Gospel Radio as we work to bring you the latest on this story. As always please let us know your thoughts in the fines and suspensions by commenting below.

Daley versus Koscheck

“SemTex” Paul Daley (20-9-2) had a few things to say about his next opponent Fighters.com seventh-ranked welterweight Josh Koscheck (14-4). This comes from the UFC: “I know Koscheck is afraid of me. I know he is. Kos was actually in my training room for my first UFC fight against Martin Kampmann, making a load of noise. He’s a major irritant to everyone around him and everyone just wanted him to leave.”

“After I thumped Kampmann, he went totally quiet around me. I knew then he was scared. I also tried to say “Hi” to him backstage after I knocked out Dustin Hazelett at UFC 108, but he pretended he didn’t see me. Again, I could tell he would rather have a root canal done than be around me. I just laughed to myself.”

“I just hope the referee doesn’t fall for his ‘I’ve been poked in the eye and taken an illegal knee’ BS once I rock him. And I will rock him with my first shot. I will walk through a thousand of his right hands which he throws from his behind his arse, land one and say goodnight.”

The war of words between these two has been a good one so far and I hope the fight lives up to the smack talk.

Condolonces

Fighters.com and MMA Gospel Radio would like to send our condolences to UFC fighter Alessio Sakara (15-7) who has had to pull out of his fight against “The Great” Nate Marquardt (29-9-2) due to the death of his father.

Roy Nelson, Cheick Kongo and Frank Mir

“Big Country” Roy Nelson (15-4) was supposed to face Cheick Kongo (15-6-1) in a fight rumored to take place at UFC 116 on July 3 however due to a back injury that fight seems to be off. The rumor that Roy has heard is that he will possibly be facing Fighters.com third-ranked heavyweight Frank Mir (13-5). This is a fight I would love to see hit the ground as both men are very well versed in grappling.

Strikeforce Melee Update

After the massive brawl witnessed by many of us live on CBS, Strikeforce is taking action as suspensions may be issued from the athletic commission.

“Mayhem” Jason Miller (23-6) was pulled from the headlining spot next month on Strikeforce: Los Angeles and now it seems “Diablo”  Nick Diaz (21-8) has lost his bid to appear on the June 26 fight card in San Jose, California. MMA Junkie cites a source close to Nick’s camp told them he was turned down due to the role he played in the nationally televised melee.

Strikeforce is playing it smart here by not putting fighters on cards that they be pulled from if the commission levies suspensions. They are essentially saving themselves money and a major headache.

After Fighters.com second-ranked and Strikeforce welterweight champion Jake Shields (25-4-1) won a lopsided unanimous decision victory over “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-8) the typical post-fight interview was about to begin.

The always colorful “Mayhem” Jason Miller (23-6) entered the cage to call out the champion, asking for a rematch. These two fought back in November of 2009 at the Fedor versus Rogers fight where Shields won by decision in a fight many thought was a snooze-fest.

Miller, known for his crazy ring walks and in general for being quite goofy, stepped up and stole some of Jake’s spotlight by asking when he was going to get his rematch. This is where all hell broke loose starting with “El Nino” Gilbert Melendez (18-2) trying to push Mayhem out of the views of the camera.

Jake Shields then decided it would be a good idea to push Miller and of course there can’t be a brawl inside the cage without Nick and Nate Diaz involved. Miller ended up being down on the ground and was kicked multiple times while being held there. All of this airing live on CBS as moronic Gus Johnson tells the audience “Sometimes these things happen in MMA”.

Gus Johnson is an ill-informed person who allowed the first-time viewers to believe that this is something that is typical in the sport of MMA. Nothing could be further from the truth.

What happened inside that cage after the licensed and regulated fights took place was paramount to a gang attack. It is felonious assault and as such those involved should have been arrested and charged. If you, a fan of MMA, got in the cage and started throwing punches and kicks to someone you can bet you would have been arrested on the spot.

Many are putting the blame on the shoulders of Jason Miller and I feel that this could not be further from the truth. Did Matt Hughes and his camp jump Georges St. Pierre after he entered the cage and said he was not impressed by Matt? So who is to blame for this event?

Strikeforce is the number one culprit here for a couple of reasons. No one actually knows if they asked, told, or gave the OK for Mayhem to enter the cage but regardless it is their job to control who can and can’t enter the cage at all times. So the bottom line is they allowed Miller inside the cage in one fashion or another. How did they think that was goinjg to turn out when you have the Diaz brothers in there? They are known for their antics and were involved in another post-fight brawl inside the cage in the during the EliteXC days.

Nate and Nick Diaz are also to blame for this event. After the cage was cleared MMA Fanhouse reporter Ariel Helwani talked to Nick Diaz who had the following to say, “I apologize, it wasn’t my fault”. Very interesting apology Nick. Nick said that he had his partners back and would expect his corner to have his back if he had just fought. This is an error in thinking because there should be no need for anyone to have someone’s back post-fight, hence the term post-fight.

The Diaz Brothers needed to realize that at that time there friend and training partner had just successfully defended his title against a man many thought would KO him in the first round. Not only that but they were live on network television as people were tuning in to catch the local news. What they found instead was the a brawl inside a cage which did nothing but solidify the opinion that MMA is brutal and nothing more than a bunch of thug bar brawlers.

Most of the MMA critics could not be more wrong when they discuss the sport but the actions of a few last night loaded the near empty guns of those critics. They now have video evidence of the fact that MMA fighters are nothing more than glorified thugs and gangsters.

Mixed Martial Arts has always been about respect and honor. Respect for you opponent and the arts as well. Mayhem Miller may have shown Shields little respect by stealing the spotlight but what transpired afterward was the complete opposite of what the sport is all about. This was not the streets of Stockton, California but rather inside the cage in Nashville, Tennessee.

The fans of MMA deserve more than they got last night and sadly, the sport took a huge step backwards. I know Dana White was happy by what he saw but he has to realize that it hurt Strikeforce but will also have an effect on all of MMA.

E3 is a trade show for the computer and video-game industries that drew 41,000 peope last year.

The announcement was made during a lunch promoting Electronic Art’ MMA game, EA Sports MMA. Strikeforce is the main league in the game appearing as the “premier league” in which the fighters compete. The game is expected to be in stores sometime near the end of this year and will go head to head with “UFC Undisputed” from the UFC and THQ.

The E3 trade show is from June 15-17 at the Los Angeles Convention center and Strikeforce takes place on Wednesday.

The fights will be inside the 7,100 seat Nokia Theatre which is quite the popular destination for national music acts as well as awards shows.

Currently no fights have been confirmed but rumor is “Mayhem” Jason Miller (22-6) will be facing “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (17-5). Also rumored to be on the card is women’s 145-pound champion “Cyborg” Cris Santos (9-1) and much talked about heavyweight prospect “The Dominator” Bobby Lashley (5-0).

MMA Gospel will be live at this event so make sure to follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mmagospel.

Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields (25-4-1) won a five-round unanimous decision over former two-division PRIDE champion “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-8) by judges’ scores of 49-46, 49-45, 48-45 to retain his title in Nashville Saturday night.  Fighters.com scored the fight 49-45 for Shields.

Shields dominated rounds two through five by putting Henderson on his back with tenacious takedowns, often initially stuffed by Hendo’, and tagging the former UFC challenger with punches from the mount.  Henderson was lost on his back, regaining his guard periodically, but never putting up much of a fight to get Shields off of him.

As Shields became more confident in the mount, he mixed in submission attempts on Henderson.   The third round ended with Henderson struggling to defend a Shields armbar attempt and in the final round Shields attempted a side choke, armbar, and kneebar.

As badly as Hendo’s was dominated from round two, he nearly finished the fight with a right hook to Shields’s temple in round one.  Shields tipped over head first, but scrambled to make Henderson defend a kneebar as Shields recovered.  Later in the round, Henderson dropped Shields again with three right hooks and followed-up with an uppercut as Shields tried to stand.

After the fight, former Shields opponent “Mayhem” Jason Miller (23-7) interrupted Shields’s post-fight interview and a fight errupted in the cage.  After the chaos subdued, Shields apologized for the interruption, though he had little to do with it.

The Miller-Stout matchup will replace the slot originally pegged for heavyweight prospect “Dominator” Bobby Lashley (5-0) who will not appear on the card.

Miller lost a five-round unanimous decision to Fighters.com’s second-ranked middleweight and Strikeforce champion Jake Shields (23-4-1) at Strikeforce in Chicago last November.

Stout enters the fight versus the former top ten 185-pounder off a loss to Roger Carroll (6-2) by rear naked choke at Clash of the Kings in Atlanta last October.

Strikeforce fighters “Big” Lavar Johnson (11-3), “Mayhem” Jason Miller (22-6), “Hands of Steel” Scott Smith (16-6) and “The Punk” Josh Thompson (16-3) will be featured on the next two episodes of MTV’s “Rock N Jock Countdown” which brings in popular athletes to a music video countdown show.

The first episode airs Saturday at 11 am EST and the second show will air at the same time on March 13.

According to Strikeforce the fighters will be on the show to count down the top five videos as well as to promote the sport of mixed martial arts and demonstrate some techniques.

Miller, Johnson. Smith and Thompson will be joined by the Strikeforce ring girls.

This will not be the first time Miller has appeared on MTV as his show “Bully Beatdown” was a hit on the network and was just picked up for a third season.

CBS has posted the full broadcast online.

The card also includes second-ranked middleweight Jake Shields (23-4-1) winning a five-round unanimous decision over “Mayhem” Jason Miller (22-7) for the previously vacant Strikeforce middleweight belt.

Strikeforce’s first event on CBS took place at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill. on November 7.

At moments exciting, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu chess match between Shields and Miller received a share of boos at times from the capacity crowd during Strikeforce’s big CBS televised event.

Miller looked dominant in the moments when he exploded into action but such attempts at power proved a little to little across the scope of five rounds where Shields out-scored his opponent in ground position for the majority of the fight.

The early rounds found Miller on his back for quite some time but the former UFC fighter roused the crowd at moments with a series of powerful punch combinations and a pair of equally powerful slams.

By the second round, Shields began bleeding due to an accidental clash of heads in the last seconds of the opening round. And in many ways, such accidents placed a metaphor of sloppiness upon the championship bout.

Referee Big John McCarthy stopped the action at the midway point of the bout to fix the tape of Miller as both fighters looked extremely tired breathing from their mouths. From this point the fight slowed with both fighters jockeying for position and Shields winning the percentage of mount attempts.

In the closing seconds of round three, Miller landed a deep guillotine choke almost stopping the fight but Shields luckily escaped being saved by the bell.

Shields’ activity in the bout won him the edge on the cards with Miller’s lack of steady aggressiveness potentially beating himself out of the title. Referees scored the fight unanimous in favor of Jake Shields 49-47 across the board.