The Doggy Bag: The Lemonade Edition

---

There has been much online support for Jason Miller with regards his release from the UFC. The argument is made that he is not the worst middleweight on the UFC roster. However, guys are coming into the UFC hungry, prepared and with better all-round skills than Miller and are only making $8,000 to show and $8,000 to win. In any business, if you don't earn your keep, if you don't get along with your employers and you upset other employees, you will be shown the door. -- Eddie from Balcatta

TJ De Santis, Sherdog Radio Network program director: The old saying is that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease." Sometimes, the squeaky wheel gets replaced.

Love him or hate him, Miller is a squeaky wheel. Some are fans of "Mayhem" and some are not; it's clear that UFC President Dana White and company aren't really fans of Miller. Miller can be very funny at times; at other times, I can find him down right obnoxious. He is similar to Quinton Jackson in a lot of ways. The difference between Miller and Jackson, however, is that Jackson backed up all his talk in the Octagon. Yes, Jason is better than a lot of the middleweights that are still employed by Zuffa. However, he hasn't put himself on a level where the UFC can't afford to lose him.

I personally think Miller should still fight elite-level competition if he wants to compete. He is competent enough to fight the best middleweights in the world. Let us not forget how close he actually was to defeating then Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields. I hope Miller doesn’t really retire, as I think he would be a nice addition to Bellator. He would be a nice fit for the same sort of deal that his former teammate, Mo Lawal, got. Plus, I think the thought of Lawal and Mayhem as a pro wrestling tag team would make most MMA fans turn into TNA fans for at least one night.

At just 31 years old, it would be foolish of Mayhem to walk away from the sport. However, he is an acquired taste for MMA fans and employers alike. Because of his UFC performances, I think that "Mayhem" would have to convince more than just the UFC that he is a worthy hire. We know the UFC disliked the sound that Mayhem’s wheel was making, so the question now becomes whether Bellator or some other promotion would be willing to put Miller’s baseball card in their spokes.

Continue Reading » Page Five: Infirmity in the Octagon