UFC 124 Preview: The Main Card

---

Jim Miller vs. Charles Oliveira

With the incoming cadre of talented WEC lightweights, getting a title shot in the UFC’s 155-pound division will require a string of impressive wins. Thus, matchups such as this will become ever-more the norm. The hard-charging Miller -- whose ledger of 18-2 includes a solid 7-1 UFC record -- takes on the 14-0 Olivera, a dynamic Brazilian with an exciting style that blends go-for-broke striking and potent submissions.

Miller is one of those guys that reminds you of athletes from other sports, if only because MMA is still an emerging one. A blue-collar type, Miller beats people on intensity, good wrestling, and simply outworking them. He’s also tough as nails. If you saw his sole loss in the UFC -- a decision defeat to Gray Maynard -- it was the rarest of one-sided fights, one where the guy on the short end never gave up, even though he was mostly being dominated. Miller could be the kind of guy to give the red-hot Olivera a reality check, if for no other reason than he has the tools to take him down and give him a long night.

Oliveira had a very impressive third-round win over the touted Efrain Escudero in his last outing at September’s UFC Fight Night. Using aggressive striking and a willingness to go for takedowns, he closed the deal with the Holy Grail of submissions: the standing rear-naked choke. With such a great ground game, Oliveira is free to launch flying knees and other wild strikes with confidence, because opponents don’t want to take him down. However, Miller might risk the ground battle, because that’s where his best chance is to win the bout.

Look for Miller to absorb some rough stuff standing before focusing on getting the fight to the mat. There, he can grind and pound on Oliveira, taking some of the shine off his game. This is the kind of battle where you find out whether a hot prospect can hang with a solid veteran, a la Jon Jones-Brandon Vera. Expect Olivera to make some adjustments and set traps (which Miller will avoid), and then ratchet his game up when Miller tries to make it a trench war on the mat. I like Olivera to have some big flurries and near-submissions en route to a definitive, exciting decision win.