Last time fighter Jason “Mayhem” Miller was in the news was July, when he earned himself a year long prison sentence for felony vandalism and violating an order of protection filed against him by his ex.
Since then, Mayhem has apparently had some time to reflect on his public parade of offenses, which have included (but not been limited to) breaking things he doesn’t own, illegally possessing firearms and a machete, standing off with police and tweeting it live, violating another order of protection, and turning up naked in a church. Yesterday, he took to Facebook to comment on the last few years, saying:
“It’s been a long time since I’ve ventured onto the information superhighway called the internet, and the last time I was here it was a very different place, and I was a very different person.
It goes without saying that I was acting like a madman for a good stretch of my post fight life, and I can’t make excuses for my behavior. I can, however, explain that I wasn’t in the right state of mind for a very long time, as evidenced by my constant war with law enforcement, destruction of public property, domestic disturbances and evading, but eventually I was caught, and forced to take a long, long look in the mirror. I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to everyone that I negatively affected during the dark times, including friends, family, law enforcement and the kalt, whom I have abandoned for far too long. I’m sorry.“
Mayhem went on to signal that he’s looking to clean up his act and evolve into a less chaotic, combative member of the community:
“What I came to realize was that the choices I was making were not ones that could produce the type of lifestyle that I want to live. Some refer to it as “growing up,” but I prefer the term “evolution.” I’d like all of you to reserve judgement on myself and everyone involved with the ongoing drama until things are settled. To be certain, there are many unanswered questions in my life, but the reason I am confident to reemerge into the light of public sphere is that I am confident of my sanity and sobriety. Somewhere in the last couple of years, I figured out that you can’t live like a rock star anarchist for too long without being killed or landing for a long stretch in prison. Luckily I have avoided either fate, and have emerged on the other side of a humbling journey, ready to make Mayhem great again, and be of service to my fellow man.
I thank you all for your continued support and look forward to making the future with you all. God Bless!”
The heartfelt post was met largely with support from fans and recovering addicts, who shared kind words and encouraged the fighter to keep on the straight and narrow.
“One of my favorite fighters growing up,” wrote supporter Nicholas Broussard. “Glad to hear he’s making changes and living clean now, and I hope this continues for him.”
Mayhem last fought in 2016 for Venator FC. His record stands at 28-10, and includes victories over Tim Kennedy, Robbie Lawlor, and Kazushi Sukuraba. He most notably lost to Michael Bisping in 2011. Miller was released from the UFC in 2012 following what Dana White called “backstage antics” which the promotion reportedly found unacceptable. He later became the host of the MTV show Bully Beatdown.
