Esther Lin/Sherdog.com
Most of Saturday’s attention will be focused on Fedor Emelianenko, but the product of that hype may last less than a round: a middleweight contest between Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Jake Shields could be the dominant “did you see?” Sunday talk of the event.
Shields, who has had virtually no problems at 170 pounds, moved up a class in June to submit the dangerous Robbie Lawler; Miller, while never dominant at either class, has a workman’s ring ethic and typically forces fighters to put in their time. Taking two athletes who rarely bend and don’t fall asleep in the guard tends to be worth the watch.
Wild Card: Miller’s guard: Shields will probably get him down, which means Miller’s ability to contain or shut him down from his back will determine how his face looks after the fight.
Might Look Like: Shields vs. Renato Verissimo, with Shields dropping air strikes down to an outmuscled jiu-jitsu player.
Who Wins: Shields is going to have issues with some of the larger middleweights out there, but Miller isn’t one of them. He can negate Miller’s grappling for a decision.