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This weekend at UFC 252, Jim Miller will be competing in the Octagon for the third time this year. In the lead-up to another interesting fight for the Octagon veteran, I had the pleasure to speak to the man himself as part of the UFC 252 Virtual Media Day.
During the interactive session, Jim Miller discussed a host of topics including his thoughts on fighting in an empty arena, fighting an almost equally experienced opponent in Vinc Pichel, and more.
Jim Miller's experience of fighting in an empty arena
This weekend will mark Jim Miller's second fight in an empty arena. And the veteran Lightweight fighter briefly spoke on what it is like to fight in an arena with no audience.
"For me, it wasn't that different because the fight was short. Like I said before, if I was in a fight like that first fight with Lauzon or something like that or my fight with Poirier, where you're just in it. It's a scrap and you're bleeding, you're limping, you're hurt, and you're going back to the corner and there's now crowd roaring or cheering. You know, it gives you a rush, it gives you an energy rush. So to not have that, I think would suck. But, yeah, fortunately, like my last fight, I didn't need that and my plan is to not need it again come Saturday."
"When I step into the Octagon, I don't see outside the Octagon, I barely hear anything. All I kind of hear is just static during the fight, occasionally, I'll hear my corner yelling at me. So for me, it doesn't matter if there was a million fans or if there weren't any. All I focus on is that guy standing in front of me."
Jim Miller on fighting someone who is almost as experienced as him
The last time Jim Miller was in Octagon action, he fought a young up-and-comer in Roosevelt Roberts. However, this time around, Miller will be facing someone who has been in the UFC for a while, in the form of Vinc Pichel. However, that shouldn't be much of a problem for the veteran Jim Miller.
"You know, it's a fight. You know everybody's dangerous, you know Roosevelt was dangerous and Vince, you know, is gonna be dangerous. It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter how many fights the guy's been in, you know the way I look at it is that I fought just about everybody. You know from guys who went on to become world champions and guys who were former world champions and you know, from third degree black belts and jiu-jitsu, and phenomenal strikers. I've fought them all, I've seen everything. You know, so for me, Vince is older than Roosevelt, and he has been in the UFC for a bit but he hasn't fought the guys that I've fought. So I feel like I do have a massive experience advantage but at the same time, it doesn't really mean anything when it comes right down to it. You know I've seen everything, so I'm not gonna overreact to things and you know, get caught off guard but when it comes down to a fight, it really doesn't matter all that time."
Jim Miller on number of fights he wants to have in a year
This will be Jim Miller's third fight of the year and despite being in his mid-30s, the veteran Lightweight doesn't seem to slow down a bit. And as per Jim Miller himself, he likes to fight every three months or so.
"I like to fight every three month or so. You know if I got to fight as often as I would've liked to, you know I'd probably already be at 40 fights in the UFC. You know, unfortunately, I have had to deal with getting shelved a little bit here and there. You know, waiting for newer cards or stuff like that. Yeah, I like to fight, it's easier for me to stay in the gym and just keep training and keep improving myself and stay in shape, then to have that period of time-off where I just get pulled out of the gym for whatever reason. You know some really good ones and some not as good like just messing around in my shop or something like that. So it's easier for me to keep fighting, so you know, hopefully I'm gonna have a good night on Saturday, come out of this one healthy, and I'd like to fight maybe end of the year card."
Jim Miller's return at UFC 252
Jim Miller will be returning to the Octagon this weekend for his third fight of 2020, as he gets set for the UFC 252 Prelims main event clash against Vinc Pichel, in what promises to be an exciting fight.
