http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/9/2/1012524/jason-mayhem-miller-talks-ufcs
With the upcoming second season of MTV's Bully Beatdown descending upon us, Miller is making the rounds in the interview circuit. Journalists have asked him similar questions before, but I found this response to be relatively fresh:
[QUOTE]
You've had one fight in the UFC, a loss to Georges St Pierre. Do you want to get back to the UFC?
Not really. Everybody talks about the UFC. I really respect the fighters in the UFC, and they are the biggest show in the United States, but to me everything is a business decision. When it's worth it to them for me to be in there and it's worth it to me for me to be in there, then I'll go.
It's like this: Would you want to work for the best car company, but work for free? Would you want to be a waiter at the best restaurant but you never get any tips? Of course not.
On top of that, I'm in the EA Sports video game, and I heard Dana White said that if you're in that video game you can never be in the video game. Well, I guess that means I'll never be in the UFC, because before he made that announcement I had already said I'd be in the EA game, and I'm a man of my word.
Do you think the UFC tries to strong-arm fighters into signing contracts that aren't good for them?
Of course. Is that a secret? Is that something people don't realize? Maybe the common fans don't know what goes on behind the scenes, but if you're in the UFC you're in the biggest show, and with that is a trade-off. It gives you the opportunity to make the most money and have the biggest sponsors, but the trade-off is the UFC owns you. Fighters have to determine whether it's worth it to them to give up those rights to be able to fight on the biggest stage in the United States.[/QUOTE]
Notice how he twice says the UFC is the biggest show in the United States, not worldwide. Clearly their popularity abroad waxes and wanes depending on which country you go to, but popularity aside, there isn't a bigger or more important show than the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
But I buy his point about trade-offs to some extent. Mayhem is able to brand and sell himself while offering a respectable level of talent (if something shy of top ten material) in a sport where both talents are coveted. And while Mayhem certainly has a flair for the dramatic, he does by and large fight tough, credible opposition. However, what track is he on? He can win lesser belts and line his pockets, but he's not divisionally asserting himself as many of his UFC counterparts are doing. No one has to follow such a path and clearly Miller is making a fine living for himself without doing so. Perhaps more fighters should follow his lead. I tend to think, though, that UFC fighters who are serious and capable aren't operating in a similar model as Miller's. I judge neither as superior to the other depending on needs and goals.