Jason “Mayhem” Miller InterviewSP: For everyone that reads this tell us about your self. You know, how old are you, what are your fight weight and that kind of stuff. JM: Okay, I just turned 23, I fight at 170, but I’ve also fought at 185 many times.
SP: It looks like you started off in Rage In The Cage what got you into the fight scene?JM: Not at all, I actually started off over on the east coast, where I grew up. I was fighting all the time anyway, and when a friend showed me the UFC I knew I was built for the sport. I when crazy trying to learn every way to fight there was. Instead of going to my prom, I took a girl to watch me fight in my first MMA fight, back when it was still called “No Holds Barred”.
SP: So was the girl pissed or scared when you took her there to watch and did you win!? JM: She was as against school as I was, so she was happy. I didn’t really know that much so I just took the guy down (who was wearing a gi!) and pounded him out for 8 minutes. Pretty lame fight I thought, although I’d love to have it on tape. It was at the Virginia Full Contact, #7 or 8 i think, it was cool because I had a giant blonde afro!
SP: Who do you train with now that you have left Team Oyama? Or have you left them? JM: YUP! I train with a great group of guys in Las Vegas, including the best Jiu Jitsu instructor in America, Marc Laimon, the hardest puncher in MMA, Phil Baroni, and a number of great wrestlers. I’m really happy the way things are turning out, but I must give credit to coach Oyama, as well as Rampage, Bobby Gamboa, and the rest of the guys at Oyama who helped me tremendously over that time period.
SP: Training with Marc and Phil, by the way is Phil still pissed at Larry? (Just kidding Jason) What is a daily routine they put you through?JM: Tough tough training…. Some days I get put through “the ringer” which is where I have to fight a fresh guy every 2 minutes, and Phil doesn’t take it easy, he’ll crack me, put me on crazy legs, kick the shit out of me even when I’m too tired to defend myself. Makes me tough as a pitbull, makes me push through and keep fighting to the end. Other times I go through a wrestling ringer that is almost just as bad, by the end the white belts are doing good against me.
SP: What made you go to train there anyways?JM: I needed a change; this will give me a chance to work on things that I’ve neglected while learning good things from Oyama. The goal is to take the good things that I’ve learned and build on them. I’ve always been kind of a wandering nomad, even when I was a kid. I like to go somewhere, learn and then go and see some new stuff. This is another step on the journey… Plus I’m kinda an asshole, so people get sick of me quick…. haha
SP: What is the deal with you fighting Todd Carney 3 times? Is this a rival thing or just a chance meeting between you two? JM: Hahahaha, well it kinda turned out that way. Todd’s a tough tough guy, and our first fight was really exciting. So later a new fight promotion in Atlanta said there was a demand to see us go at it again, so we did, I picked Todd up, slammed him down, hit my head on the canvas, and woke up with an “L” on my record, Todd had me in the guillotine, but I hardly remember that. The final chapter in the Carney Miller saga had me get all over him and his corner threw the towel. Todd’s a good guy and is gonna go places in the fight game.
SP: You lookin to rematch Chael Sonnen? JM: That would be great, Chael and I had a really fun fight, and I’d do it again. I’m concentrating on the 170 weight class, but eventually I’m coming up to 185, and we’ll throw down, and it’ll be great for everyone to watch!
SP: You have won your last three fights at SuperBrawl. What is it like to fight in Hawaii and for SuperBrawl?JM: Maaaaaaaaan, I love it out there. I’m kinda famous there. Last time I got off the plane and was signing autographs, kinda surreal. I try not to let it go to my head. The weather is awesome too; it’s like Atlanta in the early summer, except better! Plus Hawaiian women are usually HOT, with booties that look like they’re smuggling coconuts!
SP: Which is always a good thing! (The coconuts that is!) Your last fight was against Egan Inoue, can you take us through that match. JM: Well it went through exactly according to plan. He had the upper hand early in the round, got me in a kimura that I had to roll out of 10 billion times. He was pounding me from the mount, I was just relaxing, covering up and asking him if he was tired yet… he told me yea, so I knew my time was coming. I turned him and started bringing the fury! Egan turtled and I just kept chopping away, and even had time to flip off some guy who kept cussing at me in the second row. Round two went pretty similar, I turned up the heat early on, and he tried to contain me, but I turned it on and outlasted him. The round ended the same with me on his back pounding, the only difference is when the bell rang, I got up like nothing happened, and he didn’t. I thought he was just tired, so I started yelling at him “Get up.. We`re not done!” But I guess I broke his ribs sometime during the fight. That was a fun fight!
SP: Was that your hardest match?JM: No, not at al! I think my hardest match was my most frustrating match, against Chael Sonnen. That guy must’ve slammed me about 20 times. I kept trying to slug with him, and he kept dumping me on my head. He neutralized my jiu jitsu game and every time they would stand us up BLAM back to the floor, one time THROUGH the floor… we broke through the cage- I walked out of the cage untired, but he killed my game plan.
SP: Do you think that is what got you into this level? JM: I think it’s an accumulation of a lot of things, including the fact that win or lose I have exciting fights. I’m a game fighter and don’t come to stall and collect a paycheck. I fight for the fans!
SP: Who do you look up to? Who are your hero’s? Do you have any?JM: Of course! As far as mixed martial arts, Randy Couture to me is a true inspiration, and makes me feel good to be a human being. I aspire to that level of good-naturedness, but I’m not sure if I could live up to that. Another person is my dad. When I was a kid him and me went at it all the time, even fist-fighting… He was a hard-ass, an Airborne Ranger, whose job is to scream at young guys, is going to be tough father. I never really understood what his problem was. I realized later he was just looking out for me, wanted a better life for me than he grew up with. Hell, I’m the first Miller to graduate High School, nowhere to go but up from here!
SP: Randy is an inspiration to a lot of people just the way he holds himself is amazing! Well then congrates on the graduation man and I think your right there really is no other way to go by up! So what`s next? (J) JM: I do have a long list of Asses that need kicking! Including a pretty guy that all the girls who watch UFC love, I’m going to do it for the ugly guys!
SP: WHO`S THE PRETTY GUY? JM: I’m not running my mouth yet, until I earn my shot, I’ll lurk in the shadows, but I have to beat him because every girl who watches the UFC is in love with his ass!
SP: All right so who would you like to go against? JM: Someone that is going to give me a fun fight, I get high off the fans screaming, whether it’s for or against me. So if everyone’s happy I’m happy…