Octagon veteran Alessio Sakara (13-7) was forced to withdraw from his bout against up-and-coming middleweight prospect Jake Rosholt (5-0) at UFC Fight Night 17 from the University of Southern Florida (USF) Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla., on February 7, 2009 due to a shoulder injury.
Replacing “Legionarius” will be IFL veteran Dan Miller, who confirmed the bout with Larry Pepe, host of MMAmania.com’s exclusive presentation of Pro MMA Radio.
Miller was among several talented IFL fighters who Zuffa picked up when the promotion folded. He was the last man to hold the IFL title; however, he was never able to defend the belt after defeating Ryan McGivern via submission (kneebar) to win it in May of this year.
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt (and brother of UFC lightweight Jim Miller), Miller defeated Rob Kimmons via first round submission in his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 15 last September.
He didn’t have much time to celebrate his debut win as Zuffa asked him to step in to replace an injured Ricardo Almeida against Matt Horwich at UFC 90 a little more than four weeks later. Miller happily obliged and proceeded to defeat Horwich via unanimous decision in an action-packed fight.
Now Miller will come to the rescue once again, this time to battle the undefeated Rosholt.
Rosholt is a three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion out of Oklahoma State University (OSU). He turned pro more than one year ago and his gone undefeated ever since.
His limited experience was evident in his recent World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) debut against Nissen Osterneck. Rosholt won the bout via technical knockout, but not before eating several knuckle sandwiches and looking as if he could be stopped.
A win over Miller would certainly make a statement, but he’ll need to set the pace early and keep a sound submission defense if he hopes to score the “W”.
UFC Fight Night 17 features the 155-pound match up between Joe Lauzon and Hermes Franca. Fellow lightweights Mac Danzig and Josh Neer, as well as Kurt Pellegrino and Rob Emerson, are also set to hook ‘em up.
In addition, Cain Velasquez will be in action on the Spike TV special against Denis Stojnic in a heavyweight bout.
To check out the latest UFC Fight Night 17 fight card and rumors click here.
30 Comments »
Not as familiar with Dan as I am with Jim but if they are anything alike the rookie Rosholt might be in for a long night
i really like the millers and props to them for always stepping up, jake is a great wrestler but i think dan takes this one.
Damn right, the Miller bros are awesome (better than the Diaz bros) and i like this matchup even better. Sakara’s wrestling is very suspect so Jake would have LnP’d him. Now Dan should easily put him away.
i wouldnt go that far Namenotrequired, Diaz brothers have cult like followings….BUt the Miller’s are bad asses and I am a big fan!
Jake is in trouble.
YEAH he def is. I just want Dan to win cuz the WEC showed Jake’s fight instead of the epic war with Razor vs Cowboy. And i thought Jake looked terrible in that fight.
I’m thinking the same thing. Rosholt looked a lot better on TV in his last fight than he did in person. He took a beating that night in a winning effort. I don’t think he’ll be so lucky this time.
not only in his fight…kids got a face like a half chewed caramel
LMFAO!!
Nickname proposal: Jake “Rocky Dennis” Rosholt.
Is that the dude from The Mask, with Cher? If so, AWESOME!
That’s the one!
Perfect nickname.
Being covered in tatts doesnt make you a good fighter award goes to: Alessio Sakara!!!
And if you disagree, two words : Houston Alexander
But he has looked much better at 185 and training at ATT can’t hurt. With that said, he is lucky to still be fighting in the UFC.
Who said he is coverd with tats so that makes him a good fighter? hes a good boxer and training with att he can only get better.. I said he was a personal fav, that doesnt mean you have to like him. im sure i would hate some of your fav fighers!
damn i just wish he wouldnt get injured so much!
Those millers are not affraid to take a fight on short notice. More fighters should be like these guys
they’re out to make a point, this is the best way to do it, you can see how Eddie Alvarez exploded into mma in ‘08 just by takin on as much as he could.
UFC 100: Miller Brothers vs Diaz Brothers, although Dan would have to cut to 170 to fight Nick
I like it, UFC 100: “FAMILY FEUD”
UFC 100: “MILLER TIME”
Dan is tough as hell, this kid is jumping at every oppertunity to get into the octogon hes taking fights on short notice and still kickin ass. This with be his 3rd fight in like the past 4 months If he can beat rosholt his stock soars
in my opinion a win for dan puts him into the top 10 LW
he is a MW
Oh shit your right I got him mixed up with his brother Jim, Thanks
it’ll be good for his stock as well
Both Miller boys are beasts, game as hell and a great addition to the UFC stable. I really hope this fight makes it into the broadcast.
How tough are these brothers …. nice. Looking forward to seeing this one.
To be honest, I seriously do think that if the Miller Brothers got into it with the Diaz Brothers…It would be one bloody war.
i was still looking forward to seeing sakara:[
the nickname proposal had me cracking up. good one