Miller’s 20th fight and never missed one
Jim Miller: “This will be my 20th fight inside the Octagon, and when I step in there, it will be 20 fights that I’ve signed up for, and 20 fights that I’ve shown up for.”
UFC lightweight Jim Miller recently appeared on Stephie Haynes‘ The Three Amigos Podcast recently for a wide-ranging interview.
TAP: You took this fight with Castillo on relatively short notice. For guys like you, Donald Cerrone and Ben Henderson, who don’t mind picking up the slack on a moment’s notice, do you feel that the UFC should show some consideration when guys do the company favors like this?
Jim Miller: It’s be nice [laughs]. I took the fight because I like to fight. With fighting 3 or 4 times a year and pretty much being in the gym year round, I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten older, 10 week camps are not so great for me. I actually start to break down in those long camps. I prefer to fight on shorter notice. I know it’s something that a lot of guys aren’t comfortable with.
Yeah, it would be nice to be rewarded in some way. This will be my 20th fight inside the Octagon, and when I step in there, it will be 20 fights that I’ve signed up for, and 20 fights that I’ve shown up for. Hopefully, I can get that little gold star on my attendance record, because that’s something that should be rewarded, as well. There seems to be a lot more guys pulling out of fights these days, so consistency and the ability to take fights on short notice definitely deserve some consideration.
TAP: There’s been mixed reaction to the appearance of the Reebok uniforms. Some people say they look clean and streamlined, some say they lack character. Do you like your kit?
Jim Miller: I do. I would like to see a little bit more individuality. We were told we would sort of have a say in what our kits looked like, and we haven’t seen any of that yet. That’s a little disappointing, but that’s not to say that we won’t get a say in the future. Overall, the uniforms are really nice. The shorts are top notch. They’re legit.
Nothing is perfect, and nobody likes change, but I feel this Reebok deal is a good step in the right direction for the UFC and for the sport. I might not have that many fights left, so I might not see when it really starts to pay off for guys, but I do feel like it will end up being very good for the fighters.