A featured UFC 108 lightweight bout between top contenders Tyson Griffin and Jim Miller has been cancelled after Griffin suffered an injury in training and was forced to withdraw. Former UFC Lightweight Champion Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk will step up to face Miller.
Sherk was originally scheduled to take on Rafaello “Tractor” Oliveira in an undercard bout on the card, but will now move up to the televised main card to battle Miller in a crucial fight. Oliveira will still compete on the card and a replacement opponent will be announced soon.
Sherk (33-4-1) was one of the top welterweights in the sport before dropping down to the lightweight division and capturing the UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 64 in October of 2006. He went on to successfully defend the title against Hermes Franca, but was stripped of the belt after testing positive for banned substances.
Since that time, Sherk has lost two of his last three bouts, with a decision win over Griffin sandwiched between losses to current champion BJ Penn and another rising star in the division, Frankie Edgar. Once one of the best fighters in the UFC, Sherk now desperately needs an impressive win or he may be relegated to undercards for the foreseeable future.
Taking the fight with Miller on fairly short notice, Sherk will receive another shot on the main card and will need to make the most of it. Having worked diligently on his striking over the past two years, this bout may be a perfect fit for Sherk to keep the fight on the feet.
Miller (15-2-0) has enjoyed great success since making his Octagon debut at UFC 89 last October. A submission victory over the highly-touted David Baron and a decision win over Matt Wiman led Miller to a showdown with current title contender Gray “The Bully” Maynard at UFC 96 in March.
While he came up short against Maynard, Miller rebounded with an impressive decision win over TUF Winner Mac Danzig and a second-round victory over Steve Lopez when Lopez suffered a shoulder injury. Miller’s submission game is excellent, but he struggled badly against Maynard when Maynard used his wrestling to keep the fight standing. Sherk may employ similar tactics against Miller.
Seemingly one big win away from title contention himself, a victory over Sherk would place Miller firmly among the top of the UFC’s lightweight division. A loss would likely force him to work his way back up the ranks again.
The nature of Griffin’s injury was not disclosed, but it was described as being relatively minor and would not keep Griffin out of action for too long. He would not have been able to sufficiently prepare for a bout with Miller and opted to withdraw from the fight for the first time in his career. Oliveira will remain on the card against an opponent to be determined.
UFC 108: “Evans vs Silva” takes place on January 2, 2010 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.