Jim Miller doesn’t sit around and stare at his resume. So even he’s somewhat shocked to learn that he’s one of only two fighters to compete at UFC 100 who are still with the promotion today.
The other is Jon Jones.
That historic card that took place back in 2009 was a massive event for the promotion, but it still happened at a much different time in the sport. Back then, the UFC was still two years away from a major broadcast rights deal with FOX. Conor McGregor was four years away from debuting in the UFC, and Ronda Rousey was barely a year removed from winning a bronze medal in the Olympics.
Out of all the current UFC champions, only Jones and flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja were even fighting professionally back in 2009.
“It’s been a long time,” Miller said with a laugh in an interview with MMA Fighting. “UFC 100 was 2009. I didn’t have any kids! That’s the crazy part. I have a tough time remembering what life was like without children. It was a different lifetime. I led a different life at that point than I do now and have for the past 13 years as dad. It’s pretty crazy.
“I think there’s a lot of stuff that has gone into my longevity and ability to keep doing this, and luck is definitely one of them. There’s a lot of stupid stuff that can happen in the training room and in fights that can have a lasting, negative effect on somebody’s career. Fortunately, I’ve been able to avoid those. There’s definitely been some design and genetics involved, but it’s pretty crazy to think how long I’ve been doing this stuff.
“I didn’t plan it. I don’t think anybody plans on it, but here we are.”
When he fought at UFC 100, Miller was only four fights into his career with the organization, and he was coming off his first octagon loss with a decision setback to Gray Maynard. He knew getting a spot on the card was a big deal. But back then, he had no idea he would end up setting records for the most fights and most wins in UFC history.
“I fought on two pay-per-view events, my first and my third fights, and it was my first time really sharing a card with some of these fighters that I grew up idolizing, that shape the way that I fight,” Miller said about UFC 100. “It was awesome to be able to share that card with Dan Henderson and a bunch of other guys. It was the first of many. It was neat to be there. It was a big night. I made my debut at UFC 89, which you go from fighting locally, never fighting outside of New Jersey, to fighting in Birmingham, England on a pay-per-view, that was cool.
“To step in at UFC 100, it was like whoa, this is one of these big International Fight Weeks — I don’t even know if it was called “International Fight Week” at the time — but that big, summer event. It was definitely like I want to be back at these and continue this type of stuff.”
Miller’s career was nearly cut short after almost years of serious health issues that had him contemplating retirement ahead of UFC 200 in 2016. After he was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease, he bounced back, but he still wasn’t sure how much time he had left in the sport.
That’s when he threw out the idea to fight at UFC 300, which back then sounded like an abstract amount of time in the future. He contemplated that as the landing spot for his retirement fight, because there was no way he would want to keep going beyond that date, right?
“When I threw it out there at first to fight at UFC 300, I didn’t know the trajectory that my career was going to be going in,” Miller said. “It was like hey, let’s throw this thing out there, let’s throw this goal out there that’s difficult. It was super difficult. I was difficult to get to this point. Like I’ve said, I think I’ve figured out how to train and how to make myself as dangerous as possible at this point in my career. With the injuries and stuff I have to deal with and the experience that I have. That’s the thing, I’m not somebody that plays in absolutes all too often, but it’s been kind of riding it fight by fight and that’s what I’m going to continue to do.
“I try not to set those headlines on anything further than that task in front of me. To my detriment sometimes but it’s what I’m good at. It’s why I’m here, too.”
As he prepares to face Bobby Green on Saturday, Miller can’t say with any certainty how much time he has left in the sport. Truth be told, he’s feeling better than ever physically, and with a 5-1 record in his past six appearances, who is really going to tell him to slow down?
Miller knows the day will eventually come when he hangs up his gloves for good. But that date is no longer at UFC 300, so who knows what other records he’ll set in the future.
“I fully understand now as a 40-year-old lightweight that there are a lot more bad days throughout my year than there used to be,” Miller said. “As opposed when you’re 26 and you have maybe one or two a year.
“Now it’s about riding that rollercoaster and training through those things and hoping it doesn’t happen on fight night. I know that I can still compete with these guys.”
