Promotion chief won't pull Jason 'Mayhem' Miller from return fight, scolds media

Jason “Mayhem” Miller

MMA veteran Jason Miller has at least one voice of support after yet another tangle with the law – that of the promoter bringing him back to the cage.

In a defiant and poorly written press release, Venator FC President and co-founder Frank Merenda defended Miller (28-9) from “poor idiots” in the media and said he had no intention of pulling “Mayhem” from a scheduled bout against Luke Barnatt (9-3) on May 21 in Milan, Italy.

“For all who would like to see him alone and abandoned by everyone, I only have one word for you: be ashamed of yourself,” Merenda wrote in a press release. “I believe in Jason Miller. I’ll give this guy his chance.”

Miller, 35, was arrested in Irvine, Calif., this past Sunday on suspicion of DUI just five days after being jailed for a 911 hang up. The charges add to a laundry list of offenses that have landed him behind bars since his 2012 retirement from MMA, one of which led to a live-tweeted police standoff that required SWAT intervention.

Prior to his recent arrests, Miller spent at least one month in jail after allegedly assaulting a police officer.

MMA observers immediately took note of the fighter’s continuing troubles and questioned whether Miller was fit to return to the cage. But Merenda, who recently signed him to a contract, said Miller’s troubles began after his retirement and claimed the DUI charge was not serious enough to warrant a delay to his comeback.

“The offenses to justice of Miller fall in the ‘fines’ section, and at the present time there are no serious charges against him,” he wrote. “We believe that his return to activity can help him greatly with his path to redemption.”

In California, DUI is a misdemeanor, but can be elevated to a felony if the driver is found to have a blood-alcohol content level of more than .08, or it is the second or third offense. The minimum penalty for a first-time DUI charge is 48 hours in jail with a maximum of six months, while a second offense carries a minimum of 10 days in jail and maximum of one year.

Amid reports of Miller’s arrest, the fighter posted a video online in which he appeared intoxicated while wrongly announcing his return opponent as ex-UFC heavyweight champ Josh Barnett, not Barnatt.

Merenda believes the video was a promotional ploy and Miller was simply acting when he said the wrong name.

“For all the poor idiots who continue to speak of the mental condition of Miller,” Merenda wrote, “Miller is a born actor. These days he’s proving his qualities with never ending jokes on the internet and Twitter.

“He was not ‘drunk’ when he said Josh Barnett instead of Luke Barnatt. He is just doing with great skills his PR job, above all with no trash talk and without offending anyone as it’s quite normal in modern MMA, but with subtle irony, playing the character of ’mental devastated’ that every stupid in this world lightly gives to him without actually knowing him.”

Merenda said finger-wagging from MMA observers is misplaced and that Miller’s troubled past should not prevent him from trying to return to his profession.

“Jason Miller is not a saint,” he said. “We do not defend what he has done wrong in the past. But we are happy and honored to give him the chance he deserves to show how the MMA can be a vehicle for the rebirth of a person.”

Here is Merenda’s full statement:

MILAN, ITALY (February 12, 2016) – Frank Merenda, President and co-founder of Venator FC, released a statement today:

“We signed a contract with Jason Miller after long reflections with his coach and manager. It was never a decision taken lightly.

“The offenses to justice of Miller fall in the “fines” section, and at the present time there are no serious charges against him. But above all, the problems with the justice of Jason Miller began AFTER his retirement from MMA and we believe that his return to activity can help him greatly with his path to redemption.

“As president of Venator FC I have no intention of taking away his opportunity because Miller was stopped for driving under the influence. As driving under the influence has to be condemned strongly and it’s just fair that Miller pays his fine, I would be personally curious to know how many of the “saints” journalists and Miller’s haters have never drunk a couple of beers before leaving home.

“Be fined does not make Miller a criminal to my eyes. I will not cancel any match for this reason.

“Indeed, I find it absolutely disgusting the some press rage against a person who is working hard in the gym to get back doing what he loves: Fighting in the cage.

“For all the poor idiots who continue to speak of the mental condition of Miller. Miller is a born actor. These days he’s proving his qualities with never ending jokes on the internet and twitter. He was not “drunk” when he said Josh Barnett instead of Luke Barnatt. He is just doing with great skills his PR job, above all with no trash talk and without offending anyone as it’s quite normal in modern MMA, but with subtle irony, playing the character of “mental devastated” that every stupid in this world lightly gives to him without actually knowing him.

“Jason Miller is not a saint. We do not defend what he has done wrong in the past. But we are happy and honored to give him the chance he deserves to show how the MMA can be a vehicle for the rebirth of a person.

“For all who would like to see him alone and abandoned by everyone, I only have one word for you: be ashamed of yourself. I believe in Jason Miller. I’ll give this guy his chance.”