At the end of 2010, New Jersey’s Miller was 8-1 in the UFC and fresh off a first-round submission to future lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. He opened 2011 with a finish from Kamal Shalorus, but losses in two of his next three to Benson Henderson and Nate Diaz slowed his quest for a world title. What it didn’t do was end his ability to write history on his own terms.
No, Miller never won championship gold, but he has won more fights in the UFC than anyone and has also entered that iconic UFC octagon more than anyone. His time with the promotion also includes 14 post-fight performance bonuses (tied for fifth most in UFC history), he’s fought a Who’s Who of the lightweight division and he’s on pace to become the only fighter to participate in UFC 100, UFC. 200 and April’s UFC 300 cards. In fact, the latter topic prompted almost more questions from the 40-year-old than his Saturday fight against Gabriel Benitez.
Jim Miller Athlete Profile
“It’s about 50-50 at this point,” he said. “I don’t even really accept the questions about who I want to fight at 300 and this and that. And when I share one of those things from someone who says, “Jim Miller is going to fight at 300,” I get a lot of comments like, “Oh, well, what if he gets hurt?” And there’s a part of me that wants to say, “I’ve been doing this for a long time.” “And it’s funny, because no fighter says, “What if he gets hurt?” “Look, things like that can happen, but I’m training for this fight. I wanted to fight again before 300, I got my opportunity, I love the match with Gabriel, and I can’t wait to go in with him and put on a show.
This means that Miller, as always, is a professional and, as such, he is giving Benitez his full attention, both in the gym and on fight night at APEX in Las Vegas this weekend. This respect for his fellow fighters is another reason why he never got into trashy battles with his enemies.