Las Vegas:Jim Miller, the UFC veteran, has the record of highest wins in the Lightweight division and will lock horns with debutant Erick Gonzalez on Sunday. Confident of winning the fight, Miller is banking on his experience to come up trumps against his opponent.
Miller, in an exclusive conversation with Etv Bharat, reveals his strategy for the match, his last two fights that resulted in losses, and his prediction for Poirier vs Oliveira match.
Excerpts:
Q. You've been fighting in the UFC since 2008. Describe the feeling of your debut at UFC 89 against David Baron?
A. My brother fought MMA prior to me, making his UFC debut. So, I got a lot of nerves out when he fought. I don't really get that nervous but anytime when he was fighting, I'd be shaking like a leaf. It was just exciting. It was crazy because I had never fought outside of New Jersey at that point and then it's like hey you're making your UFC debut in Birmingham, England, and that was different. It was a different experience than just fighting an AC. It was cool. It was not how I envisioned it.
Q. You've faced almost every fighter in the Lightweight division whether it is Dustin Poirier, Dan Hooker, Beneil Dariush among others. Who was your toughest opponent?
A. They were all tough. I have definitely been in quite a few tough fights. You know that my first fight with Joe Lauzon was just one of those fights while that was happening. I knew that it was something special. And I have had some great fights. We had a second fight that was another Fight of the Night. I’ve had good performances and my goal every time I fight is to make it fun, to make quick, want to be able to hop up quick and go to an after-party and have a cheeseburger, and being in those battles. It’s not always easy to do that. So yeah, that fight was crazy while I was in it. There’s blood everywhere and I was exhausted and I had taken that fight on a few weeks notice, but it was definitely like I said it was, it was a fight that I knew was special as it was going on and it is one of the memorable ones really.
Q. Your opponent Erick Gonzalez is making his UFC debut at UFC Vegas 40 and you've been fighting in the promotion for over a decade. How do you think your experience will play out?
A. Experience is a weapon too. I have seen just about anything a fighter can do inside the Octagon. I have fought phenomenal grapplers, great wrestlers, great strikers; seen it all. When on the flip side, he's making his debut and he's really got nothing to lose and I know, putting myself in that situation. I feel like a pretty dangerous man. I am definitely not going to overplay the experience advantage that I have over him, it's one of those things. He's here for a reason. He earned his opportunity to fight in the UFC and if I can use the experience that I've gained fighting, you know "who's who" of lightweights, then that's what I'm going to do. Yeah, it's a fight so you never know what's gonna happen.
Q. Gonzalez is on a two-fight winning streak entering into this match while you are coming on the back of two close losses. How do you keep your mind focussed on the task at hand and sweep such things under the table?
A. I am a person that lives in the present. I can only control what's right in front of me. I would have liked to have done other things in those recent fights and would have liked to have been able to pull off victories. I'm not worried about that. None of that helps me on Saturday night. I've got a talented fighter who's younger than me and will be stepping across the Octagon for me. So, that is hundred per cent the only thing that I'm focused on.
Q. Your opponent holds 8 KO/TKO victories and you hold 18 submission victories in your career. Can we expect to witness one more classic grappler vs striker match in this one?