Addison Sports Management and Media: Morning Report: Jason 'Mayhem' Miller Reveals UFC 146 Backstage Incident, Retires From MMA

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

May 29, 2012 - Fighters toss out the ‘I'm retiring if I can't beat this guy' line probably a little more than they should in this volatile sport, but it's rare anything ever comes out of it, aside from a few broken glances and maybe some mumbled words of regret. Except yesterday. Mayhem Miller actually followed through on his promise.
"I said I would, so I am. I'm done for right now," Miller muttered hoarsely during a slightly surreal interview on The MMA Hour. And just like that, the post-fight drama from Saturday was over. The beef with Dana White, irrelevant. The backstage incident, nothing more than Burt Watson fussing over a gasmask beneath a paper bag. And Miller, left to "walk the Earth, meet people, and get into adventures, like Caine from Kung Fu."

(Real quick: After days of hearing White rage about the "crazy s***" Mayhem supposedly did, was this "incident" a little anticlimactic for anybody else, or just me? It doesn't even make much sense. Fighters do this kind of stuff all the time. Just three weeks ago the UFC released a video celebrating Tom Lawlor's pre-fight shenanigans. There has to be something we're not hearing here. But anyway...)
Obviously, ‘I'm done for right now,' isn't the most decisive declaration. And even though yesterday Mayhem certainly sounded like someone who was in fact done, retirement can be a fickle thing -- especially for 31-year-old fighters who've spent a lifetime crafting a particular set of skills and probably have plenty of miles (and income) left on their tread.
But ultimately it is what it is, and if Mayhem wants to go out on a Pulp Fiction reference and start working towards his goal of reaching old-ass-man-with-a-million-stories status, who's to say that's not admirable? Besides, his UFC time may have been short and rather unspectacular, but at least he witnessed the greatest moment in TUF history firsthand, and that's something we'll all never forget.

5 MUST-READ STORIES
Mayhem Miller retires. Former TUF coach Jason "Mayhem" Miller announced his retirement from mixed martial arts, while elaborating on the "backstage incident" that led UFC President Dana White to release him from the promotion.
The MMA Hour. Ariel Helwani brings you another episode of The MMA Hour, with a star-studded lineup of Matt Serra, Martin Kampmann, Demetrious Johnson, Ian McCall, Jake Ellenberger, Jason "Mayhem" Miller and MMA Fighting's own Ben Fowlkes.
Brock Lesnar-Dana White meeting. The post-UFC 146 meeting between former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and UFC President Dana White "did not go well," according to a report from Dave Meltzer.
Paul Williams likely paralyzed after accident. Up-and-coming boxer Paul Williams will likely be paralyzed from the waist down after suffering a motorcycle crash near Atlanta, Georgia, according to several reports.
Anderson Silva quiets reports of injury. Reports of an injury to Anderson Silva's knee were greatly exaggerated, said the UFC middleweight champ. Despite the tweak, Silva confirmed he would still be fighting Chael Sonnen on July 7, 2012.

MEDIA STEW
For some reason Joe Lauzon found himself in a cheeseburger eating contest with FPS Russia (he shoots guns). Again, we don't know why this happened, but while you'll never be able to beat J-Lau up, maybe you can at least eat more than him? That's got to count for something. (HT: MiddleEasy)

Jason Jenkins spent many long nights brushing up on his Street Fighter skills, so you better appreciate the ridiculous Ryu-inspired kick that turns out the lights on his opponent. For the lazy, the knockout comes around the 2:00 mark. (HT: MiddleEasy)

We're not really sure why this even exists, but ladies and gentlemen, we present you with "Orange Efficiency" by Rorion Gracie. (HT: Reddit)

Wanderlei Silva reflects back on his road to stardom and forging his heart in the fires of Japan's Pride FC for the latest edition of his UFC 147 video blog.

MAKES SENSE

ROUGH TRANSLATION: GUYS, I'M FINE. STOP WORRYING.

DIDN'T EXPECT TO SEE THAT THIS MORNING

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Monday, May 28, 2012):
- UFC 148: Rafaello Oliveira (14-5) vs. Yoislandy Izquierdo (6-1)

FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today's Fanpost of the Day comes courtesy of Dangalvan, who offers a cheat-sheet for Joe Silva: The Most Valuable Non-UFC Fighters

Contracts in sports are a funny thing. In the NFL and NBA, contracts were a significant reason as to why both leagues suffered a work stoppage this past year. In the MLB, terrible contracts that overpay players have limited some team's chances of competing in the post-season (see: Soriano, Alfonso).
As it regards to the UFC, the largest Mixed Martial Arts organization in the world, contracts have deprived the UFC of some of MMA's top talent. Although the majority of those fighters end up signing on the dotted line with the UFC (see: Lombard, Hector), there are still a few fighters that fall through the cracks (see: Emelianenko, Fedor).
With the UFC running what seems like an endless amount of events, a logical person would assume that there would be a scarcity of talent outside of the number one MMA organization. Unfortunately for that logical person, that'd be an incorrect assumption as there are still a myriad of talented fighters that would provide good value to the UFC.
In fact, there are so many talented fighters that I decided to make a list of the top 25 most valuable non-UFC fighters to the UFC. Just so we get things clear, what I consider valuable is a fighter who is talented as well as marketable.
25. Bryan Baker (18-3)
With the benefit of hindsight, moving down to the welterweight class was a smart decision Bryan Baker, who has won two straight fights since making the cut. A Bellator welterweight tournament final against Karl Amoussou is on the docket next for Bryan Baker, and if the athletic, 26 year-old California native doesn't get his hand raised then you can color me shocked. Baker is an energetic welterweight whose best days are a head of him.
24. Mamed Khalidov (25-4-2)
What has Mamed Khalidov done recently? To be frank, a lot. In his last five fights, Khalidov has dispatched five fighters who have each at one point fought under the UFC banner. The value for Khalidov isn't entirely defined by his talent either. Being a star in Poland, signing Khalidov could open the doors for the UFC to run a show in Poland.

Found something perfect for the Morning Report? Just hit me on Twitter @shaunalshatti and we'll include it in tomorrow's post.