Las Vegas, NV — Lightweight veteran Jim Miller stepped up to the plate against Gabriel Benitez, and came away with his fourth win in five fights at UFC Vegas 84.
Miller, everyone’s favorite choice to join the UFC 300 card in April, had got word that Benitez was especially proficient with his kicks.
“I’ve heard that he’s the hardest kicker, leg kicker at AKA, and it’s like ‘alright, hold my beer,'” the victorious Miller told media outlets including Cageside Press following the event. “We can see about that.”
Miller put Benitez away via submission in the end, finishing the fight with a face crank. But early on, the 40-year old opted to trade kicks, and exchange on the feet, in what became quite the exciting co-main event.
“That’s the way we expected it, a tough fight,” reflected Miller. “Like I sat here a few days ago and said, even though the opportunity to fight at 300 was on the shelf, or there in front of me, I wasn’t going to do anything tonight that wasn’t Jim Miller style. I went out there and fought like I always try to fight, sometimes I fall a little short, but my goal in every fight that I’ve ever been in is to come out and to be as violent as I can and to get that finish. That’s the only way I’m happy, is if I put somebody away.”
UFC 300 is right there in front of him now. The fact that Miller, who competed at UFC 100 in 2009 and UFC 200 in 2016, is still competing, is nothing short of amazing. It’s not the fights that take their toll, however, Miller explained.
“It’s not the fights, necessarily, it’s more so the training camps. Training as a 40-year old lightweight, I have to make concessions, everyday. It’s about sacrificing certain things. My goal when I step onto the mat to train is to be healthy, and then to be in shape, and then to be good at what I’m good at and then to be ready for what my opponent brings. I’m not going to do anything like the silly stuff like start in bad positions, all this stuff. ‘Oh this guy’s good at arm-bars, let’s start in an arm-bar.’ No. Been there, done that, I’ve got those reps in. If I can’t make it through the camps then I know it’s time to hang them up.”
Asked about the key to the longevity he has seen in his career, Miller admitted that “the lazy answer is luck and genetics, but there’s been a lot. There’s been a lot.” That includes Miller’s decision to start his own gym, and do to it with a small team of guys he could trust. Which allowed him to “not have to deal with some of the things you have to deal with at big gyms,” including training partners who might injure you in sparring. “There are a lot of careers that have been cut short by injuries in rounds that they didn’t need to do in the gym, and silly mistakes.”
Following his win over Benitez, Jim Miller called out both Paul Felder, who was working the broadcast booth (Felder addressed the media at Saturday’s post-fight press conference, suggesting he was open to a return for the match-up), and welterweight vet Matt Brown. Miller seems high on both match-ups.
“Paul and I almost fought, when was that, 15? 2015. I think that fight would be brutal. I think that is a brutal fight, me and him, locked in a cage for 15 minutes,” Miller exclaimed. “I also think that that Matt Brown fight is amazing as well. I think it’s awesome because one I don’t have to cut weight, and two, he’s the guy with the most finishes at welterweight, I’m the guy with the most finishes at lightweight. That’s a fight for 300. Let’s put on a show, let’s go out, let’s entertain. I’m willing to move up in weight for that type of event.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 84 post-fight press conference with Jim Miller above.
