Most fights ever.
Most wins ever.
It took Jim Miller just 23 seconds to add one more level in the UFC record books to each of these distinguished categories. In 42 trips to the octagon, Jim has never missed weight, never failed a drug test, and (aside from one positive COVID test) never pulled out of a fight. These unparalleled accomplishments have led many in the sport to attach the moniker of “future Hall of Famer” to his name. However, one of the sport’s most notable fighters and commentators has taken issue with this description. Daniel Cormier has argued that while he has respect for Miller, he does NOT deserve to be mentioned along the all-time greats in the UFC Hall of Fame. Here we will cover why “DC” is so very wrong.
Cormier’s accomplishments in the UFC are staggering. His status as a simultaneous two-division champion puts him among the most elite to ever put on a fingerless glove. However, in his post-fighting career, Cormier has faced much criticism for his takes on the sport. When it comes to Miller, as the great Dominick Cruz once said, “DC” has not done his homework.
So first, let’s look at exactly what “DC” said.
“It makes me feel bad, because … I’m of the other side,” Cormier said. “I tap out, bro. I don’t feel like time served immediately puts you in the Hall of Fame. Look, he’s got more wins than anyone else. I love Jim Miller, and this makes it hard for me, but I just don’t feel like time served puts you in the Hall of Fame.
“There’s an offensive lineman in the NFL right now that played 20 years. Is that guy going into the Hall of Fame just because he played 20 years? It doesn’t work that way. You have to have accomplishments to go into the Hall of Fame.”
The core of Cormier’s argument is that Miller’s achievements are for simply maintaining a place on the roster, and that he was not a fighter of great distinction. Although his comparison was flawed in many ways, it’s appropriate that Miller was compared to an offensive lineman. The O-line is arguably the most important element of an effective offense; they work in the trenches to keep the superstar quarterbacks safe and create the opening that allow the featured running backs to score. They aren’t given endorsement deals or platforms to speak out. They’re never the protagonist in football films. But they are often the ones most responsible for the success of the franchise. Much like Miller, their success is achieved quietly and without fanfare, but that doesn’t make their accomplishments any less noteworthy.
In some ways Miller’s career is analogous to the Israeli-Palestine conflict – it’s been going on for so long no one remembers how it started, and it seems like it will never end. Let’s turn back the clock 15 years, to when the then 11-1 New Jersey prospect first entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Since “DC” made the NFL analogy, we will be making some team sports comparisons along the way, to show why Miller is indeed Hall of Fame-worthy.
Miller’s debut opponent was David Baron, who was coming off a stoppage win over UFC title challenger Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, as well as multiple wins over future UFC title contender Dan Hardy. Miller took home “Submission of the Night” in a one-sided affair. Seven weeks later, Miller showed up on two weeks’ notice to stop Matt Wiman‘s four-fight UFC win streak. Miller was being fed to the lions immediately and proving that he belonged among the elite. He would go on to rack up a record of 9-1, including victories over future champion Charles Oliveira, as well as Gleison Tibau, the man many feel bested Khabib Nurmagomedov, the consensus lightweight GOAT. These are the accomplishments Cormier has overlooked in his assessment of Miller’s career. He was not simply “on the roster,” he was one of the very best in the toughest division in the sport.
Why doesn’t Cormier remember Miller’s dominance? Simple, Millers don’t talk.
Despite a seven-fight win streak and multiple performance bonuses, Miller decided he was going to take the long road. He wouldn’t talk trash, adopt a catchy nickname, or cut promos. He kept his cards close to his chest and wanted to earn his keep solely on his in-octagon accomplishments, and not via his antics or personality. Colby Covington is preparing for a title shot coming off 15 months of inactivity and going 2-2 in his last four fights. Had Jim taken a marketing approach closer to that of “Chaos,” his story could have been radically different.
Miller would twice be in title eliminator bouts, and twice fall short. He would go on to main event cards, defeat multiple title challengers, a former PRIDE champion, and a future UFC champion. But the shot at gold has eluded him. This is where we get to the heart of Cormier’s criticism and must ask the question, is the UFC Hall of Fame a champion’s only club? If so, should it be? In professional and collegiate sports leagues, there are metrics outside of championship titles that are used as yardsticks for excellence. MMA has two clear criteria for this for achievements that place an athlete above their peers and highlight extraordinary accomplishments – ranking and post-fight performance bonuses. When it comes to rankings, Miller spent two years ranked in the top eight in the UFC; in NCAA wrestling, athletes who finish in the top eight in the country are known as All-Americans.
UFC athletes “take the field” an average of only three times a year. In each event, the performance bonus shows how significantly each fighter has separated him or herself from the field. Bonuses also allow for an important distinction – an amazing fight that resulted in a loss. Michael Chandler is 1-3 in his last four bouts. However, one could argue in earnest that in those four bouts, he put on Hall of Fame-worthy performances. In MMA terms, a performance bonus is the equivalent of making the all-star team in baseball. So far, Miller has been awarded 14 performance bonuses, the same number as Anderson Silva, with whom he is tied for fifth best of all time. For further perspective, consider that Cormier’s complete body of work in the UFC is 15 fights. Additionally, Miller vs. Joe Lauzon 1 was awarded “Fight of the Year” by UFC.com. Other than winning the title or being fighter of the year, it is the highest honor a combatant can receive.
Would a two-time All-American or a 14-time all-star be someone who was simply held a place on the roster just because they didn’t win gold? Cormier has never won a gold medal at the Olympics, or World Championships, or an NCAA national title. However, he is rightly a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. His impact on the sport is not solely defined by a world title.
So what of traditional team sports? In every team sport, there are Hall of Fame metrics – in baseball it’s 500 home runs, in the NBA it’s30 points per game, in the NFL it’s 200 touchdown passes. These statistics set a player apart from the field, and can only be achieved through such a consistent career of excellence that the Hall of Fame inclusion is guaranteed on those benchmarks alone. The average career in a major MMA organization is 3.3 bouts, so the UFC should recognize that achieving benchmarks like 20 wins, 30 fights, 10 performance bonuses, 13 finishes, are collectively so difficult to achieve that reaching those thresholds should guarantee Hall of Fame recognition. Miller has achieved all of those distinctions, and by the way, he isn’t done and is 4-1 in his last five fights.
Imagine a baseball player recording 3,000 hits, 600 home runs, and breaking Cal Ripken’s consecutive game streak, and NOT being in the Hall of Fame because he didn’t win the pennant. That would be laughable. When one looks at Miller’s place in the UFC record books, and then reads Cormier’s statement, it not only shows “DC” is egregiously incorrect, but to be blunt, he owes Jim an apology.
Who was the toughest opponent ever in the UFC? Was it Georges St-Pierre? Jon Jones? Nurmagomedov? Who was the one that no one could best? Truly, the toughest combatant is Father Time, who is currently undefeated. He, however, has had his hands full with Miller, who has redefined what is possible in a UFC career. Thirty fights was once seen as an impossibility, but Miller is ever so quietly creeping up on 50.
Miller has a tattoo across his forearm that reads “Do not go gentle,” a reference to the poem by Dylan Thomas that celebrates making the most of your time, and fighting tooth and nail against the grim reaper who comes for us all. Miller has lived up to this ideal. Despite bloody drag-out wars, he answers the bell time after time, while others bow out.
The average NFL career is 3.3 years. The average age of retirement is 27. So does a lineman who has kept his starting position for over 20 years deserve to be in the Hall of Fame? Absolutely.
“DC,” unfortunately, doubled down on his statement regarding Miller, adding, “Jim Miller never was in the top five, he was never in the top 10.”
Wrong.
Miller spent years ranked in the top 10, but “DC” is correct that Miller was never ranked top five; in 2013, he was ranked No. 6. More importantly, ask yourself what you want in a fighter. An exciting fighter who goes for the finish? Someone who shuts up about the money fight or the ranking and takes on all comers at all times? A reliable fighter who you know will never phone it in and give nothing short of full-throttle effort looking for the finish every time? A fighter who reliably makes weight, passes drug tests, and keeps their nose clean outside of the cage? Miller checks every box and has for over 15 years, but it likely won’t be until after he is gone that we realize just how special he truly is.
Author Brian McLaughlin is the head coach at Precision Boxing and MMA in Poughkeepsie, New York. His students fight regularly in the UFC and have earned local, national, and international titles across the globe.
