UFC veteran Jason “Mayhem” Miller is calling on the sport’s biggest organizations to build a formal support system for athletes once their careers in the octagon come to an end, arguing that the transition away from competition is one of the most overlooked dangers in combat sports.
Miller, who built a reputation as one of MMA’s most colorful personalities during his combat days, discussed the issue in an interview tied to the release of a new episode covering his rise, legal troubles, and recovery.
The episode poses the question at the center of Miller’s advocacy: “What happens when athletes stop competing?”
Asked why he believes organizations, not just the athletes themselves, should shoulder responsibility for life after competition, Miller pointed to public safety as much as personal welfare.
“It’s not just the fighter, it’s the safety of the public. Prize figh ters who is raw, intense and purposeful, lethal weapon out there and not with no guidance, no pension or way out of it. Learning the new human world after you’ve been a prize fig hter for so long, it’s difficult, and I think there’s a responsibility to the world for me to help them guys up out of there.”
Miller now works as a coach and says he applies lessons from his own career to how he treats the athletes under him, describing a philosophy rooted in his military upbringing.
“It’s a little bit of aftercare. You don’t let down on your buddy. I was raised in a military family, and you got a battle buddy, and you stick by them. I look at all of my figh ters as battle buddies, and I try to pull them up out of whatever hole they’re in.”
He acknowledged that the drop-off in attention athletes face once their careers slow down can be jarring.
“It is something that is forgotten once the lights are dimmed, and everything just stops paying so much attention to you. It’s dark for young athletes. Guys got to learn to move on to the next stage of their life.”
Miller referenced a program addressing the issue, though he said he had not yet seen the full documentary himself. “I talked about it on the Vice documentary a little bit. I think the MVP program. I’m not sure. I haven’t even watched it yet, but I know Vice TV puts on really great documentaries, so it should prove to be awesome.”
Despite the seriousness of the topic, Miller framed his own story as one of perseverance he hopes others take from.
“I’d like to share my story with more people so they can realize they can overcome overwhelming odds. You can climb up out of there. I did it with poverty.”
