Jim Miller (30-13 1NC) is a lightweight pugilist signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In his next appearance, “A10” will take on Clay Guida at UFC on ESPN 5. The event takes place on Aug. 3 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
As the contest looms, here are five things that you might not know about 35-year-old veteran.
His brother was a fighter
Miller’s older sibling Dan (14-8 1 NC) was a middleweight combatant, who also competed twice as a welterweight during his 23-bout, 10-year mixed martial arts career. He retired in 2015 following a unanimous decision loss to Trevor Smith at “The Ultimate Fighter 21” Finale.His accomplishments in the sport include being the International Fight League middleweight champion and winning the Cage Fury Fighting middleweight championship. Today, he continues his involvement in the game through Miller Brothers MMA, the gym that he runs with Jim.
He favors submissions
Miller is a long-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who has proven adept at using his grappling skills during his MMA matches. After all, 16 of the New Jersey native’s triumphs have come by way of submission. Amongst the stellar list of victims Miller has dispatched via this method, are Duane Ludwig, Charles Oliveira and Yancy Medeiros, all under the UFC.It is the best part of three years since Miller has attained a win without a submission. The last time he did so was when he bested Thiago Alves via unanimous decision at UFC 205 back in November 2016.
He started out in wrestling
Miller was born to a blue-collar family in Sparta Township, New Jersey. Growing up, the youngster was an outdoors type who also enjoyed wrestling. Following a successful high school career, Miller considered quitting the sport for good. However, his competitive streak culminated in him joining the wrestling team at his college, Virginia Tech. Due to a falling out with the coaching staff, however, Miller soon quit the team.Not long after, he commenced training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu along with his brother Dan at Planet Jiu-Jitsu in their hometown of Sparta. Miller took quickly to the gentle art.
He is a record breaker
Across his near 14-year storied MMA tenure, Miller has achieved numerous accolades. These include the most wins (18) in the history of the UFC lightweight division and the most submission victories (8) at lightweight.Amongst his other UFC accomplishments are six Fight of the Night winning honors, three Submission of the Night awards, and one Performance of the Night. Miller will be hoping to claim another bonus when he faces Guida.
He used to work construction
The Miller family have a reputation as hard-working, blue-collar types. Growing up, Miller and his two older brothers would spend their vacations assisting their father in building houses.During his fledgling MMA career, Miller also worked construction to help pay the bills. These days, the fight game provides the 35-year-old with the income he needs to support his family, but the DIY skills instilled in him at a young age remain. Miller has even been known to build his own furniture.