Let the jail break begin.
The first Strikeforce fighter to defect to the UFC since Zuffa purchased the rival company is middleweight Jason “Mayhem” Miller.
The news broke earlier today from Ariel Helwani at MMAFighting.com.
The 30-year-old Miller (24-7, 1 NC) was able to sign with the UFC due to the fact that his contract with Strikeforce had expired. No word just yet on when his first fight back inside the Octagon will take place.
“Mayhem” had not competed for Strikeforce since last April when he defeated Tim Stout on the undercard of Strikeforce: Nashville. He went on to defeat one of his MMA idols, Kazushi Sakuraba, at DREAM.16 in September, which stands as his last fight to date.
“I will beat the brakes off most of the guys in the middleweight divisions in the UFC,” he said. “I guaran-damn-tee it.”
Miller fought once previously in the UFC, at UFC 52 against Georges St. Pierre. GSP dominated Miller for three rounds to earn the decision.
This move is pretty intriguing as Miller was one of Strikeforce’s biggest names. While they can say his contract had run out, it seems like some string may have been pulled to make that happen.
Now the question is, when will more strings be pulled and whose strings will they be?
