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MMA fighters to blame for televised melee

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By Dann Stupp, Contributing Writer Updated 11:56 PM Sunday, April 18, 2010

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — What should have been a hallmark night for Strikeforce, one of the world’s top MMA promotions, ended on a sour note when a post-fight scrum spoiled the end of its Saturday, April 17, broadcast on CBS.

Soon after Jake Shields defended his middleweight belt and topped UFC import Dan Henderson in the night’s main event, Jason “Mayhem” Miller — who competed earlier in the night — entered the cage and interrupted the champ’s post-fight interview to demand a rematch of their November fight.

Shields, an otherwise low-key fighter, gave Miller a nudge. Co-headliner Gilbert Melendez joined in, and additional teammates — including Strikeforce’s Nick Diaz and the UFC’s Nate Diaz — ended the celebration and began beating on Miller while the cameras rolled.

For a sport still struggling for acceptance, it was an ugly and disappointing fiasco.

And while some fans and media have quickly condemned Strikeforce and even Miller — an eccentric fighter who’s more bark than bite in those types of situations — the blame should be directed at Shields and his teammates, who should know better and have a responsibility to the sport.

“There’s no room in Strikeforce for that type of behavior,” said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, who said he’ll review footage of the incident and possibly levy punishments. “I will not condone and reward that type of behavior.”

Unfortunately for Coker, he now must work on a contract extension for Shields, who’s generated interest from the UFC because of his 14-fight win streak. With Shields at least partially to blame for the scrum, can Coker appropriately punish him without souring contract negotiations?

Franklin vs. Liddell official for UFC 115

After weeks of speculation, UFC officials made it official this past week: Rich Franklin replaced Tito Ortiz on “The Ultimate Fighter 11” and will fight rival coach Chuck Liddell in a season-ending fight at UFC 115.

The event takes place June 12 in Vancouver after “TUF 11’s” run on Spike TV.

Rumors of the coaching switch first popped up in March while the show was in production. However, confidentiality agreements — and some outright denials by UFC president Dana White — left a cloud of uncertainty. In fact, it’s still not clear why Ortiz left the show, and the episode with his departure hasn’t yet aired.

Franklin (26-5), a West Chester Twp. resident, now fights a fellow ex-champ in Liddell (21-7). Franklin, a 35-year-old who’s lost two of his past three fights, and Liddell, a 40-year-old who’s 1-4 in his past five, are two of the UFC’s top draws, but each is trying to prove his best days aren’t behind him.

Tickets for the show went on sale April 12 and sold out in a record 30 minutes.

Dann Stupp is editor-in-chief of MMAjunkie.com, voted best media outlet in the 2008 and 2009 World MMA Awards. For the latest mixed-martial-arts news, go to www.mmajunkie.com.

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