It's hard to imagine, but the injury-riddled UFC 108: "Evans vs. Silva" fight card has sustained yet another blow. However, the promotion has shifted seamlessly on the fly to minimize the damage.
Former lightweight champion Sean Sherk (33-4-1) has been tapped to throwdown with Jim Miller (15-2) at UFC 108 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 2, 2010.
Sherk was supposed to battle promotion sophomore Rafael Oliveira (9-2) on the same card, but his opponent was switched to Miller when his foe, Tyson Griffin, was forced off the card with an injury. No new match up for Oliveira is known at this time.
This is the first fight back for Sherk since a unanimous decision loss to Frank Edgar at UFC 98: "Evans vs. Machida" back in May. In that fight he relied perhaps too much on his new and improved striking skills, which he demonstrated in a unanimous decision win over Tyson Griffin at UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote."
Whether or not he returns to his roots, wrestling, which was a big factor is his divisional dominance for so many years, against Miller remains to be seen. However, at the ripe old age of 36, the "Muscle Shark" needs to dial it in sooner rather than later if he wants to head back toward title contention before calling it quits.
Miller is fresh off a technical knockout win over Steve Lopez at UFC 103 back in Sept., during which Lopez and his shoulder decided to part ways early into the second round, effectively halting the bout. It marked the fifth fight for the New Jersey product inside the Octagon and his fourth win.
A unanimous decision loss to the streaking Gray Maynard at UFC 96 back on March 7 is the only blip during that span. His other wins include Matt Wiman and David Baron.
UFC 108 features a re-worked main event between former light heavyweight champion "Sugar" Rashad Evans and the hard-hitting Thiago Silva. It's unclear at this time which fight will serve as the co main event; however, the lightweight clash between Sherk and Miller will be featured on the televised main card.
To check out the latest UFC 108: "Evans vs. Machida" fight card click here. It's changed quite a bit.
Get the latest gear
