Jason "Mayhem" Miller walks out for UFC 146 (Donald Miralle/UFC)
Middleweight cut after second straight loss since UFC return
LAS VEGAS – It was another rough night for Jason “Mayhem” Miller in the Octagon. And after his fight, it continued.
Miller lost a unanimous decision to C.B. Dollaway on Saturday on the preliminary card of UFC 146 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It was his second straight loss since returning to the UFC, and a pair of 29-28 scores indicated perhaps a closer fight than reality. (A third had him losing 30-26 with a 10-8 third round for Dollaway.)
Following the post-fight news conference, UFC president Dana White told a small group of reporters that Miller would be cut from the organization after the loss. And he also said a backstage incident after his fight didn’t help matters.
“Something happened here backstage after (his fight), and Mayhem’s done. He’s done,” White said, though he wouldn’t elaborate much on what the incident was, saying, “Just some bull(crap) that I don’t want to talk about. We’re on a crazy string here of dumb bull(crap). Nothing physical. It doesn’t matter. He’s done. He’s not with us anymore. (He would have) probably (been released anyway), but I really don’t make those kinds of decisions right after.”
Miller (23-9, 1 NC, 0-3 UFC) first fought for the promotion at UFC 52 in April 2005, dropping a unanimous decision to future welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre. He returned to the UFC last year after a run in Strikeforce and immediately landed a coaching gig opposite Michael Bisping on Season 14 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” In the coaches’ fight at the TUF 14 Finale, Bisping dominated Miller for a third-round TKO.
White told HeavyMMA that when he brought Miller over to the UFC, he was uncertain just how competitive he would be.
“You never know,” White said. “When you have all these other organizations and people start saying, ‘Oh, he’s the best’ and these guys start getting ranked – he hadn’t fought the best guys in the world yet.”
White said he was not particularly a supporter of Miller’s playful and theatrical mentality, which included a weigh-in on Friday at which he donned a pink boa that he placed on Octagon Girl Arianny Celeste. For his walkout to the cage on Saturday, Miller donned a paper bag over his head painted with a big grin, then had a gas mask and combat attire.
“I guess what I’ll say about the Mayhem thing is, if you get embarrassed the way you did against Michael Bisping, and then you show up at the next fight with a pink whatever that thing was (at the weigh-ins) and all that other (stuff), I’m not into that stuff,” White said. “It’s not my thing. I don’t really care if guys do it, because you see it at weigh-ins all the time. But come on, man. Take this thing seriously. If you want to be a clown, you can do that later. Do that on your reality show.”