Jim Miller (Or: Why the UFC Needs a LW Grand Prix)
by SSreporters on May 11, 2011 10:50 PM EDT
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A 9-1 fighter in the UFC with the lone loss coming against the current #1 contender in the UFC LW division at this point should have either a title shot or at least a top 10 opponent. Not in Jim Miller's case. See, he has this awesome fight with Ben Henderson coming up at UFC on Versus 5 in August. I love the fight and hate it at the same time. For a guy who is on a 7 fight win streak he shouldn't be in a position to face a fringe top 20 LW no matter how entertaining Bendo may be.
But we should be used to this by now as the UFC has made practically no attempt to push Jim Miller into title contention with these fights (all from his current win streak):
Mac Danzig (UFC 100 Prelims, NR)
Steve Lopez (UFC 103 Prelims, original opponent was Thiago Tavares, NR)
Duane Ludwig (UFC 108 Main Card, original opponent was Sean Sherk on prelims, NR)
Mark Bocek (UFC 111 Main Card, NR)
Gleison Tibau (UFC Fight Night 22 Main Card, #22)
Charles Oliveira (UFC 124 Main Card, NR)
Kamal Shalorus (UFC 128 Main Card, NR)
* All rankings are from the latest USA Today/SBN Consensus Rankings leading up to the fight.
Six unranked opponents to just one top 25 fighter. Ben Henderson (#18) is the highest ranked opponent Jim has fought since his loss to Gray Maynard (#15) in March 2009. This is bullcrap. Typically when you win you get a higher level opposition when instead of facing the mid-to-upper level of UFC LWs like Sherk, Guillard, or even Evan Dunham before his recent slide, he's been given a string of guys who have no hope of reaching the upper echelon of the division in the near future.
It is completely unfair for Anthony Pettis to beat up on WEC guys and be in a position to just beat Clay Guida on a TUF Finale card to earn a title shot while Jim Miller is left out in the dust.
I think it is very clear the UFC has no idea how to handle the lightweight division post-Penn and they've done a poor job of providing relevant matchmaking for their rising contenders. Jim Miller is fighting guys outside the top 15 despite a 9-1 record. Melvin Guillard dominated Evan Dunham so they give him....Shane Roller.
There's only one solution to this and it's a lightweight tournament. Simple 8 man tournament. Sort of like the one Strikeforce is doing right now for their heavyweights!!! Four fighters seeded 1-4 on opposite sides of the bracket.
If the UFC would just absolve Strikeforce we could be seeing matchups like these:
#1 Frank Edgar vs. #4 Shinya Aoki
#2 Gray Maynard vs. #3 Gilbert Melendez
#1 Jim Miller vs. #4 Anthony Pettis
#2 Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. #3 Melvin Guillard
* Seeding is based on current ranking from the latest USA Today/SBN Consensus Rankings.
** Sean Sherk is ranked higher than Melvin Guillard, but we all know he'll get injured anyway.
Of course the bottom half of the hypothetical bracket would change with Kawajiri losing decisively but you get the point. I really am tired of the UFC's complete "debacling" of the lightweight division and it feels like the only way we'll get a resolution is with a good ol' GP.
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
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I agree that jim miller has been treated like shit in terms of relevent opponents over the past year or so. He’s good. Like, really really good. AT EVERYTHING. But instead of a 8 man tourney, 155 needs an interim title. the division is clogged with condenders waiting for a shot at gold. if edgard is out for a while, set up an interim title. if not, then winner of guida pettis takes on winner of miller henderson. winner gets title shot finally
"he will have a two pound reach advantage"- mike goldberg
Great idea.
155 is the UFC’s most overloaded division and even when Zuffa’s been lucky enough to have a recognizable name like BJ as champion, few casual fans know many 155ers. A tournament could get people paying attention to a few key names instead of getting overwhelmed by the jumble of former WEC vets and mid-level UFC guys.
While I agree Miller has gotten shafted, and in no way should be behind Pettis in a sporting sense, even this proposal would have him two wins away from a title shot. If he has to take two more fights he could have the most wins in the history of the division at 11 (Penn holds it at 10) and be the fastest fighter to 10 wins in UFC history (has until, I think, November), all without getting a shot, which is just crazy to think of when during those wins he has a total of one loss to the #2 guy in the world, and it wasn’t one that split up his wins evenly.
Also, one note, Miller was originally scheduled to face Tyson Griffin on the main card of 108, not Sherk. Griffin pulled out and Sherk was put in his place (still on the main card) and then when he pulled out Bang was brought in.
Just Blog Guy - http://JustBlogGuy.wordpress.com/
its the stache
get rid of the mustache miller!!
Jim Miller is on his way to a title shot.
He’s a fucking murderer. There are very few fighters that actually make me feel bad for their opponents. It’s opinionated speculation, but I have a strong feeling that after he’s done with Henderson his name will be mentioned in the discussion of a title shot.
It's a good idea.
But if they do it, they need to NOT put the three top 155s (Edgar, Maynard, Melendez) on the same side of the bracket.
"Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth."
Chris McCandless A.K.A. Alexander Supertramp
1968-1992
by T.C. Engel on May 12, 2011 10:23 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
There is a definite logjam at the top
right now because the of the draw the lightweight title is tied up. In the meantime it appears that Dana’s attitude is keep fighting and keep winning and you will get your title shot.
The entire UFC is a gp for each division. The reason they don’t formalize it is so you don’t get stuck waiting for fights because of injuries and the like.
War Miller
I love watching his fights. They are actual fights, actual mixed martial arts. Everything is incorporated in his game and it makes him so much fun to watch. If they EVER give him a shot… Would Miller vs. Edgar be here in Jersey? Because that would be pretty damn cool.
"I am going to punch faces." --Wanderlei Silva
War Miller Bros.
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