Jim Miller: I want to be that f–king lion
Jim Miller: “…and convince myself that I’ll do the same thing and not hesitate because that hesitation could mean harm to someone. I want to be that f–king lion.”
Many mixed martial artists sport tattoos. Some have tattoos that represent their culture and heritage, others maybe were bad drunks decisions, and some have a special meaning to the fighter.
UFC lightweight Jim Miller has a lion claw tattooed with the words ‘He Who Greets With Fire’ inked onto his left pec. Miller recently spoke to B/E about the meaning behind this tattoo:
Miller said the idea for the tattoo came to him after he watched a National Geographic documentary on lions and hyenas in Botswana.
One lion in particular caught Miller’s attention – the lion that was always ready for a fight whenever the hyenas started messing with the pride. That lion’s name, when translated to English was “He Who Greets With Fire.”
For Miller, the image permanently inked into his skin has a very deep meaning, and this is when the realization of just how important family is to Miller came to light, “The only thing I fear – I don’t fear death, I don’t fear pain. The only thing I fear is something happening to somebody I care about and not doing everything in my power. So, to me it means, when – I’m getting a little fired up thinking about it. When the shit’s on, when it’s time to go ¬- I have to be ready to go. If my family, my wife, my kids, my brother, my sister, parents, any of my friends, even anybody on the street needs help, I’m doing what I have to do. I don’t think that I could live myself if I watched something happen and something bad happened. So, for me, when it’s a dangerous situation to greet with fire, to do what I have to do.”
“What I do on the mats, I deal with violence and pain in a very personal way, and I think that helps deal with things that are outside the cage. There have been a lot of fighters that have thrown themselves into harms way to help somebody out, and I’d like to think, and I train myself and convince myself that I’ll do the same thing and not hesitate because that hesitation could mean harm to someone. I want to be that fucking lion.”