UFC 146: What Jason "Mayhem" Miller Must Do to Ensure He Stays in the UFC

There is little doubt that at UFC 146, Jason "Mayhem" Miller will be fighting for his job.

Despite Miller's immense popularity and ability to sell a fight, Dana White made it clear that Miller is on a short leash after mulling over cutting him after his lackluster performance against Michael Bisping at the TUF 14 finale.

In a sport that rewards characters, Miller has made a name for himself with his MTV show "Bully Beatdown," and just generally being a quirky character who talks a good game. However, Miller has yet to win a fight in the UFC and was outclassed in fight against Bisping.

Dana White and Co. will be looking very closely at Miller's UFC 146 matchup against C.B. Dollaway to determine if Miller truly deserves a spot in the world's largest MMA promotion. Here's what Mayhem must do to keep his job.

Show Improved Striking

Jason "Mayhem" Miller's ground game has always been lightyears ahead of his stand up striking, so it came as no surprise when he was consistently beaten to the punch by the superb kickboxing of Michael Bisping.

What was surprising was just how bad Miller's striking was. Dana White pulled no punches with the media in criticizing Miller's stand up, even saying that girls in Tae Bo classes had better form and that it looked like Miller's first fight.

In C.B. Dollaway, Miller will get a chance to strike with an opponent far less skilled in the striking department than Bisping. Miller doesn't have to knock him out, and given that both fighters prefer the ground game, he doesn't need to force a stand up battle but he must at least show enough striking to set up takedowns.

Another performance that rivals Tae Bo, and Miller will be looking for a new job.

Show Improved Cardio

Even more than Miller's bad stand up, Miller's lack of cardio in his fight with Bisping was shocking.

Miller was able to keep up with Bisping in the first round, even securing a few dominant positions on the ground with the Brit and possibly winning the round. But, according to some observers, Miller gassed and gassed quickly.

Miller has gone the distance numerous times in his career so his cardio has been better and he will have to show it in his fight with Dollaway. Another fight of gasping for air after one round will not bode well for Miller.

With Dolloway's wrestling ability, cardio becomes even more important as he will surely look to grind down Miller as the fight goes on and test if Miller has truly improved his cardio. Miller must be able to go the distance if necessary.

Prove His Relevance

Dana White has shown time and time again that he is a man who listens to fans. White has referenced what fans say on twitter on multiple occasions and when White publicly bashed Miller's performance, Miller's fans tweeted in full force in defense of the charismatic Miller.

Miller's fanbase probably played a role in getting Miller another fight with the UFC and it will be up to him to keep those fans happy. As long as Miller can show that fans still view him as relevant, he will have a pretty good shot at keeping his job.

However, this must be proved in the octagon, as having your own TV show can only get you so far and it has come time for Mayhem to either "put up or shut up."

Entertain

There's no denying that Mayhem Miller is a great entertainer.

From his highly publicized feud with Nick Diaz, his coaching stint with Bisping on the Ultimate Fighter and his work on tv shows "Bully Beatdown," and "Ellismania," Miller is an entertainer. That ability to entertain has spilled into his fighting career but he must show that he can entertain with his skills against Dollaway to remain employed.

Dana rarely has issues with guys that come into the octagon and put on a great show for the fans, and Miller must show that he can be just as entertaining in the cage as he is out of it.

Win

This may be the most obvious, but it is the most true.

Dana White isn't looking to do Miller any favors, and while not an official rule, a three strikes and your out routine is common in the UFC. At 0-2 now in the organization, Miller now faces a must win situation. It is pretty rare that a fighter gets cut after a win (barring legal or drug issues), so getting a win is the only way that Miller can make himself a virtual lock to get at least one more fight with the organization.

Dollaway faces the same dilemma after back-to-back losses at the hands of Mark Munoz and Jared Hamman, so Dollaway will be just as hungry to keep his job and a win will be the only way for either of these guys to keep their job.