UFC NEWS: Jim Miller wants Kenny Florian, Sean Sherk, George Sotiropoulos or title shot next in 2011
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
When UFC lightweight Jim Miller defeated Charles Oliveira at UFC 124 earlier this month, he very emphatically let UFC President Dana White and UFC matchmaker Joe Silva know that he wanted his shot at the division's title. Having only been beaten by decision by the two fighters meeting for the belt on January 1, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, Miller believed he'd been overlooked and under-appreciated in the division. But Miller, in an interview with MMAWeekly.com, said his reaction after the Oliveira fight was heat of the moment, but the sentiment sticks. However, he wants it to be the way he fights that gets him respect. "I want it to be the way I fight that gets me that recognition, and hopefully it was that performance really," Miller said. "I was just kind of letting off a little steam after." With that said, Miller listed a number of fights that he'd like the UFC to offer him in 2011. "I'd love the next shot at the title," Miller said. "I'd love a shot at [Kenny] Florian when he's healthy, or [Sean] Sherk, or I really would have liked them not to have given [George] Sotiropoulos [someone] so quickly. I know they're trying to build up the Australian market, but to me a fight between me and him makes sense." Sotiropoulos has been scheduled to meet Dennis Siver at UFC 127 in Australia, but Miller said he'd be ready to step up if the UFC approached him to replace Siver in that fight. But for now, he's simply awaiting his next assignment, and he'll try to work his way back toward a title shot in 2011. Link to Original Source Article Penick's Analysis: All of the fights Miller named would make for excellent matchups, and right now I think the most realistic options are Florian and Sherk. Florian's recovering from an injury that forced him out of a fight with Evan Dunham next month, but if he's able to go a month or two after they could definitely put Miller-Florian together on one of the many March events on the docket. I'm not sure what Sherk's timetable is, but a Miller-Sherk fight would also be excellent for March.
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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_7907.shtml
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