Jim Miller (34-16, 1 no contest, 28 finishes) will hit the octagon on the preliminary card (8 p.m. on ABC) of the UFC 276 pay-per-view Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against Donald Cerrone (36-16, 2 no contests, 27 finishes), extending his UFC record to 40 appearances with the promotion in the rematch with “Cowboy.” The 38-year-old Sparta, N.J., native spoke recently via phone with Scott Fontana for this week’s Post Fight Interview before his first UFC welterweight bout, which was put together on short notice after original opponent Bobby Green withdrew last week.
Q: You’re about to hit 40 fights in the UFC. First to do it. Are you able to take stock of your career and appreciate accomplishments like that?
A: Yes and no. Originally, I planned on being done at 34 years old, so for a little bit beyond that (laughs). So we’ve definitely gone well beyond what I originally planned. I’ve always been the hardest on myself. Nobody can talk s–t about me like I tell myself in my own head (laughs). It’s always been that way. I’ve always expected more out of myself, and that’s why I’ve been able to do the things that I’ve done because of holding-myself-accountable type of s–t. But sometimes, especially when somebody pisses me off, it’s like, “Well, hold on a second. Wait a minute here.” Getting to 40 fights in the UFC is pretty ridiculous, and having the only fight that I’ve ever had to pull out of be because I got COVID. … But there are times where I think about it, and it’s like, “Wow, I’ve done some pretty cool stuff and some stuff that nobody will ever do. It doesn’t happen that often though because, honestly, I’ve just been living in it. I’ve just been fighting.
Q: Your goal is to compete at UFC 300 after having fought at UFC 100 and 200. Is it your goal for that to be your last fight?
A: I think so. That’s another two years, and that’s four to six fights. It’s a lot, but it’s not a lot at the same time (laughs). There’s definitely a side of me that’s ready to hang them up and focus on something new. But I still do love it. I love fighting and I feel like I’m learning every day. And that’s really what it comes down to. I’m making progress in a lot of areas. Obviously, I’m not the 26-year-old athlete that I was, at 38 now, so there’s definitely limitations that I have these days that I didn’t back in the day. But on the flip side, I feel like I’ve made a ton of ground in technique and just figuring myself out. I still get tunnel vision, and I fought with a lot of tunnel vision early in my career. I lost fights because of it, and I feel like I’ve been learning more about myself in the last few [years] and how to get the most out of myself and get the most out of the skill set that I have, and I feel like I can carry that through another couple fights.
Q: You had 4 KOs or TKOs in your first 16 years as a pro, and then you pick up two in a row after you turn 38. To what do you attribute that?
A: That’s kind of the blessing in disguise of Lyme disease. I lost my athleticism and was still fighting (laughs). It took me years to get it back, and like I said, it’s not like [how] I was when I was in my 20s. There were a few years there where I was not the athlete that I should have been, fighting in the UFC. But I was still making ground in my technical abilities. I was still learning, I was still adapting, and I feel in my maturity as a man now — as an old man is the division — I feel like it’s helping me, and I’m being a little bit more [tactical] and setting things up more and realizing, like, hey man, it only takes one opportunity. Whereas when I was young, it was just static (yells). Just go! (laughs) That’s why I’ve got so many submission attempts because I pounced on things that weren’t necessarily there. Now, granted, I use them to set up other other positions and get that snowball going, but I feel like I’m a lot more calculated in the way that I fight.
Q: Do you recall your first experience watching MMA?
A: I was at a wrestling camp with the high school team. I was going into the eighth grade; both my brothers were on the high school team, so I went to camp with them. One of the coaches, who ended up being my coach and was the assistant at the time, he brought a VHS of, I think, UFC 3 or something like that. I remember watching it, and I was like, that’s scary as s–t, and I kind of want to do it (laughs).
Q: You can fight any person who ever lived. Who do you pick?
A: Teddy Roosevelt.
Q: Typical walkaround weight between fights?
A: These days, about 175 [pounds]. It used to be pushing 190, and then in 2016, when I was on doxycycline the first time for my Lyme, I ended up going to the bathroom so much (laughs), and I couldn’t keep weight on, and I lost, like, 15 pounds. It was pretty bad (laughs).
Q: Typical weight on fight night for a lightweight bout?
A: About 172.
Q: Fight-day routine before competition?
A: Not necessarily. I’m the type that I do not like to eat within hours before, so I’ll eat a good breakfast, and that’s about it. I’ll maybe have a bar, a shake or something like that for lunch. I perform so much better on an empty stomach. That’s the only thing I worry about is, like, “Hey, just don’t eat too late” because then I’ll be in the fight, and I’ll be burping it up (laughs). My stomach, I guess, just does not work quickly, especially nowadays.
Q: What’s your favorite fight of yours from your regional days?
A: Probably my first one. I was so freaking nervous leading up to that fight. Still to this day, I’ve never won a street fight, so I’d never been in a fight before, a real one. I remember not being able to sleep for weeks leading up to it, [thinking] what the hell am I doing? Didn’t have the easiest camp. Got a giant cauliflower ear, dealt with some other s–t. Ended up getting to this fight super nervous, and Dan [Miller, my older brother,] went out and fought two fights before me. So I go out, I corner him, he triangles this kid in [2:20]. And I remember the weight gets lifted off my shoulders, and I’m going back to continue my warmup and I’m skipping (laughs). Like, “Hey! Stop! Man up a little bit here, Jimmy.” Then I went out and fought hard and got the “W.”
Q: Who in MMA do you most admire?
A: Demetrious Johnson … just his technical ability and athleticism. There are plenty of guys that are athletes and technical, but he is a guy right that [was] going for submissions in the last little bit of a fight, as the champ, knowing you’ve got the fight in the bag, I love that. I love that style. I love that mindset of just going for that finish and and always pressing for it.
Q: What’s the coolest technique in combat sports?
A: I’d have to say [Johnson’s] armbar [against Ray Borg], where he picked them up and swung over for the armbar. That was hot. The name [Mighty Wiz Bar] sucks (laughs). They should work on that part. But the technique was awesome.
Q: Is there a great MMA movie?
A: Nothing I’ve seen.
Q: Favorite movie?
A: “Red Dawn.” Obviously, the original. That remake was garbage.
Q: Favorite outdoor activity?
A: I love hunting. It’s part of my life. It’s more of a lifestyle thing than, like, fishing. I look at fishing as more of a pastime and a hobby. But getting to fish with my kids is pretty cool.
Q: Favorite video game?
A: I got the kids a [PlayStation 5] for Christmas, and I got to play the “UFC” game, show them that I’m on there (laughs). But I’m not a video game guy.
Q: What’s a perfect day for you that doesn’t involve fighting?
A: Just spending time with my family. I wouldn’t call myself a busybody (laughs), but I like to do stuff. I like to accomplish things. Get s–t done. So maybe get some stuff done around the house. There’s always something, and I like to knock some tasks off of the list. Having barbecue or something like that; my family and friends over and cooking for the people that I love and hanging out and relaxing.
