UFC
Jason "Mayhem" Miller excited for TUF 14 coaching spot against "most hated man in America" Michael Bisping
Jun 6, 2011 - 11:25:51 AM Jason "Mayhem" Miller excited for TUF 14 coaching spot against "most hated man in America" Michael Bisping

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Jason "Mayhem" Miller is in a very unique situation. The longtime MMA veteran hasn't competed in the UFC since a loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 52 in 2005, yet he will return to the organization on their long-running reality show The Ultimate Fighter as a coach opposite Brit Michael Bisping.

The gig came about with Chael Sonnen's on-going commission issues, but regardless of how he got the assignment, he's been moved from a preliminary card spot on next month's UFC 132 card to the opportunity to get 12 weeks of added exposure before headlining against a top contender on Spike TV.

Hyping the fight and providing entertainment throughout the six-week taping of the show shouldn't come with much difficulty for Miller. The jokester host of MTV's Bully Beatdown show, Miller's personality has always been his major selling point, and now he's ready to take on "the most hated man in America" in Bisping.

"I feel great getting the TUF spot," Miller said in an interview with Duane Finley at HeavyMMA. "It's a little early to start the smack talk but I'm going to beat the bangers and mash out of Bisping after my team smashes his team. Now that Osama is dead, Bisping is the most hated man in America. Everybody hates that guy. I wonder what it's like to actually be hated that much. You would have to put a terrorist attack together to be hated any more than he is."

That's just a small taste of what we're likely to get out of Mayhem throughout the 14th season of TUF, which will feature him and Bisping coaching a group of bantamweights and featherweights, the first time the show has featured those weight classes. But Mayhem's not just coming onto the show to talk. Now that he's back in the UFC, Miller wants to prove himself as one of the best in the world against the best fighters he can face, and he feels the exposure of TUF will only help him do that.

"I'm going to make an entertaining show for the fans because that's what I'm all about. It's not enough to just to go out there and fight you have to fight and then put on the biggest show," Miller said. "Now I'm on the greatest show on earth so I'm going to keep this circus rolling. On the internet message boards, with all of the geniuses on there, I feel like I'm a very underrated fighter. Everyone thinks that because my last two wins weren't against top level guys, I'm not any good. That wasn't my fault. I wanted to fight the top level guys but when they stick a guy in front of you then you beat them because that’s your job.

"I'm a good mixed martial artist, soon to be one of the greatest mixed martial artists and I just haven't had the chance to display my prowess. Now that I'm in the UFC I can fight these top level guys and show that I'm one of the greatest fighters in the world."

Miller feels his addition to the show will be beneficial for both him and the UFC. After season 13 provided some of the worst ratings in the show's history, Miller believes he's got a fanbase of his own that can help boost his season's numbers when the show begins airing in September.

"Dana [White] and Lorenzo [Fertitta] didn't get here by throwing a bunch of money at a problem. They got where they are because they are smart dudes," Miller said. "They know what sells and they realize that I have an independent fan base that's not just UFC fans. I'll be able to pull some of my fans onto their television program which will be great. It will be fantastic. It's good for me, for them... it's good for everybody. It's good for MMA. It's going to be fun and it will broaden the horizons for the fringe fans who are just becoming interested in mixed martial arts. My goal is to make this the best season of TUF, the highest rated season and to smash a Brit at the end of it."

The season begins filming in Las Vegas this month, and Miller will meet Bisping in his return to the Octagon in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale on December 3.

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Penick's Analysis: Miller's a very solid middleweight who presents a very stiff test for anyone he's matched up with, and it will be no different with Bisping. He's going to be bringing a big personality into the Ultimate Fighter, but that's not all he is. With a 24-7 record and one no contest, Miller has only been stopped twice in his 10 year career, and he'll make Bisping work for a win in their fight. I don't think this season will come close to the record-setting tenth season, but if they move back to the old timeslot, and Miller's Bully Beatdown audience tunes in, the show could certainly find a boost from the dismal ratings this season provided. It was a good choice by the UFC given the circumstances, and I'm interested to see how the UFC audience reacts to Miller and how they accept him as a coach on the show. It's going to be an interesting season from a number of standpoints, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Miller can do with this opportunity.