Thoughts on UFC on FX 1

Not much to say about the UFC on FX opening night. I went 2-2 on my picks, moving my record to 11-7 on the year.

But I guess a key thing that must be discussed is Jim Miller's status in the UFC's lightweight division as of today. Following his victory, I feel like Miller has certainly moved his status up among the company's best on the ground. Moreover, he has definitely gotten over the loss a few months back.

The question now is: Where should he be? Many are clamoring for him to have a title shot after Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson have their match in February. Let's all just calm down for a second.

This is a very reactionary response and one that may be due to the fact that the division has lacked a truly dominant force to challenge for the belt. Just because Miller has proven himself to be a contender doesn't mean he has earned a title shot.

Let's not forget that Anthony Pettis has rebounded since he lost to Clay Guida and still has the whole "WEC title earned me a title shot here" card to go to. I would love to see Pettis match up with Miller, especially now that Miller's ground game can serve as an interesting contrast to Pettis' 'showtime' style and super-kicks.

This, of course, is assuming we don't wind up needing another immediate rematch, which seems to be the norm for Edgar. So far, both BJ Penn and Gray Maynard required rematches for the belt before anyone else could get a shot, which is why the hierarchy is so messed up.

Right now, what needs to be done is the lightweights need a pecking order to work toward, and the only way to do that is to put the top contenders against each other a little more.

It may delay the process and the fights of the champion, but it will lead to better-hyped fights. More importantly, it will prevent a whole bunch of filler title shots from wasting our time until Strikeforce closes and Gilbert Melendez gets an immediate shot.

Tune in at the end of this week for the UFC on Fox 2 preview!