By: King Eddie

The hunt for the lightweight title is a stacked one indeed. With so many deadly adversaries in the division, it is hard to know who is going to be the next to make their run. But upon the closest of all inspections it is abundantly clear that Nate Diaz and Jim Miller are two of the most likely to take the next leap up to number one contender after Ben Henderson gets his crack at Frankie Edgar. The only question is, which one will prevail?

Miller lost a grueling battle with Bendo that went down to the last second. Though he was battling an illness at the time, he hardly mentioned it. But the heart shown in the fight was something that cannot be taught, and his skills since the loss have only strengthened. His recent submission victory over another top contender, Melvin Guillard, showed yet again what Miller can do under pressure. As well rounded as they come, good ol Jim won't hesitate to stand and strike or go to the ground, with the capability to finish the fight on either terms. Taking on Nate Diaz, Miller should hope to be at his best in both departments in order to end the rise of the smaller Diaz brother.

Nate Diaz is himself coming off of quite an impressive victory. The second of the Stockton bad boys took out the highly hyped and motivated Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in a fight that shocked most hardcore fans. The standup of Diaz was almost unanswered by Cowboy, who was a favorite in the fight on the feet. Also recently under his belt is former Pride superstar, Takanori Gomi, who Diaz decimated in mere minutes with brutal strikes and lightening fast submission work. Diaz is undoubtedly in line for a title shot, but he will have to power through Jim Miller first, and that is no easy task.