UFC 208Jan 13, 2017 by Duane Finley
Jim Miller: Full Throttle Through The Crossroads To UFC 208
Jim Miller: Full Throttle Through The Crossroads To UFC 208
UFC lightweight staple Jim Miller talks about the rough road traveled to get his career back on track.
The winter winds are pounding off the glass of the hotel room, and the city below spreads out for as far as the eye can see.
A warm front snuck through two days prior with sheets of rain in its back pocket, bringing gales that knocked the typical calling card of a January in Indiana off the ground. The streets below shimmer in greens and reds while halogen lamp posts cast an eerie feel to where the metro proper gives way to warehouses and refineries.
Indianapolis has always been a blue-collar city, but the rows of high-rise condos flying up at a record rate signal to a shift in culture. And with change hovering in the air all around where Washington and West Streets intersect, it's fitting that Jim Miller is sitting in the center of it all.
The hard knock fighter from the New Jersey woodlands is in good spirits while his older brother Dan and lifelong friend Pat McGurrin sling punchlines back and forth on their "Hands On Podcast", but when a topic of a more personal nature is introduced, things shift to reflect the darkness just beyond the glass.
Miller is a fighter born and bred, and because of this he never gave much thought to how or when his fighting career would end.
A throwback to a different time and era, the rustic outdoorsmen who makes a living prizefighting inside a cage simply figured when the best of what he had left to offer was no longer good enough, he'd simply walk away.
Nov 12, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Jim Miller (red gloves) fights Thiago Alves (blue gloves) during UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
The Miller family is filled with fighters, all filed under different definitions, but the one common thread is how they collectively view adversity. Most people walking this earth run from conflict, but in the Miller household there was always a lesson to be learned and a step to be taken by pushing through.
On March 5, 2016 one of the longest standing fighters in the UFC lightweight division found himself looking at the end line.
The 33-year-old found himself on the losing end of a three-round battle with fellow veteran Diego Sanchez at UFC 196, and once the four ounce gloves came off, a defeated Miller started to accept he'd never put them on again.
"It was right after the Diego fight where I hit my lowest point," Miller told FloCombat. "I had been putting on this front for so long because I'm not the type to make any type of excuses. I was sick and it was taking a serious toll on me, but I just kept pressing forward figuring everything would right itself. My body wasn't right going into that fight, but I figured I could tough my way through.
"I figured once the punches started flying I'd snap into the same mode that's gotten me through all of my other fights. It didn't happen and that's when I had the conversation with Dan about not fighting anymore.
"It's true and that conversation was a difficult one," Dan Miller added. "Nobody knew what Jim was dealing with, and as a brother all I could do was help in whatever fashion I could. We are fighters and how we make a living is by stepping inside that cage, and I've had my fair share of situations just like it. We were raised to show up to do a job and that's what we've always done. Jim had a talk with me and said he was pretty sure he was done. I know my brother so I told him to give it some time and think on it. I'm glad he did."
March 5, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Diego Sanchez is declared the winner against Jim Miller during UFC 196 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Sitting next to the younger Miller brother I can see the tattoo etched into the skin on his right forearm. In a swirl of black and blue ink it reads "Do Not Go Gentle", the famous words of poet Dylan Thomas, serving as stamped reminder to live a life worth living.
As Miller begins to address the inscription and the purpose for it all emotions begin to kick up, but he's a fighter through and through. He clears his throat and proceeds to lay it all on the table.
"Once I found myself in that place I decided I was just going to say yes to everything," Miller revealed. "If that meant driving 14 hours to go on a crazy journey to see Bret 'The Hitman' Hart and fulfill my lifelong dream of jumping off the top rope at a wrestling show I was going to do it. I've never been one to ever feel sorry for myself and the Lyme disease was just kicking my ass. I was stuck and didn't know what to do, so rather than get lost any further I decided to dive in full speed."
And that's what Miller did.
The savvy veteran laced up his boots and set about dedicating his time to the things that made him happy. No matter what the endeavor, Miller simply agreed to live without restrictions and somewhere along the way a corner was turned. The medicine he'd been taking to combat his illness started making a difference, and slowly but surely his capacities and motivations returned.
Miller has never been one to talk about second chances and things of that nature, but with a new lease on his health, he vowed to keep pressing his mental attack the same way he'd pushed his physical for years.
He didn't want to call it a comeback because it meant more than a win/loss record. This was his life and the very way he'd fought to have it, and there was nothing going to take that away from him.
"I've never been a selfish person but I had to put the focus on myself in that space," Miller said. "When it rained it poured and there were a lot of things going wrong at a time I could barely get out of bed. Once I got my feet back under me, I stayed in attack mode because my career is at the center of it all. The old Jim gave hell to anyone I stepped in that cage with, and getting back to that was what I needed to do.
"That's why I don't talk about reinvention or a new chapter or any of that other bullshit. This is who I am and who I've always been, but because of an illness I had to find my way back to it. I've done that and life is pretty damn great."
Time has a funny way of shaping things and that certainly isn't lost on Miller.
Nearly a year had passed since we drove in a car together cutting west down I-74 while the rest of my family slept in the back. 30 feet behind us a caravan rolled on with his brother Dan and camping trip survivor Hunter Homistek trailing behind. Somewhere in that four hour drive the topic of Miller's performance came to call, and the reveal was shocking.
We'd just passed the state line and crossed over into Illinois when Miller revealed he'd been battling Lyme disease for more than a year, and once that information was offered, the proof was speckled everywhere across his recent track record. The full throttle scrapper I'd always seen enter the cage was a reduced version, so much in fact I had chosen that drive to talk about his future in fighting.
As it would turn out, that conversation happened at the very onset of his new mental push, and he'd already started to feel a touch toward the better. 10 months later and a much different man sat across from me at roughly the same distance from the day we made that drive.
In the space between Miller scored three impressive victories over tough competition. In those fights the gritty, win at all cost fighter returned to the forefront, and he was able to do the job he's loved to do for more than a decade in the way he's always loved to do it.
"The win over Takanori Gomi really put things back on track," Miller said. "There was never anything officialy said as to whether I was fighting for my job or not, but that didn't matter to me because I was fighting for a hell of a lot more than that. I was fighting to prove I still belonged in there and I sure enough went out and did it.
"I had a close fight with [Joe] Lauzon and then a solid performance against Thiago Alves. I mean that guy has been in there with the best 170-pound fighters in the world, and getting that win was a great way to close out a year that started in such rough fashion. I was fighting to get my career back, my body back and now I'm climbing to the top."
In typical Miller fashion he will kick off his campaign in the new year against one of the toughest talents in the division. Dustin Poirier has been a force since moving up from the featherweight fold and has found success in all but one of his showings at 155 pounds.
Their matchup at UFC 208 will determine which of the two hard-nosed fighters will move up into the title contention conversation, but even that storyline isn't enough to get Miller's blood pumping. Every time Miller steps into the cage he does so to fight his ass off, and with Poirier meeting him in the center of the Octagon he knows he has a dance partner who is more than willing to mix up the ruckus.
And that is what has Miller excited for Feb. 11 in Brooklyn.
Aug 27, 2016; Vancouver, BC, Canada; Joe Lauzon (red gloves) reacts to fight against Jim Miller (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
"Dustin is a tough kid and he always shows up to fight," Miller said. "He's a guy I like to watch and that makes him a guy I want to fight. I'm always looking to test myself against the best guys in the world and Dustin is a guy who has been making some noise at 155. He had a great run at 145 and he has a lot of experience inside the cage. I think we are both versatile fighters who are always looking for the finish and that's going to make it exciting for the fans.
"I chased a title shot for a long time and I don't let those things get in and mess up my head. Would I love to get a fight with Conor McGregor for a sh*t ton of money? Yeah, who wouldn't? But I'm the guy the UFC texts when they need a fight and I've never turned them down or pulled out of a fight. I've always shown up, and sometimes...as we've discussed, that hasn't always been in my best interest.
"There's a lot left to do in my career, but when it's all said and done I'm going to be remembered as a guy who fought his ass off inside that cage and was one of the best in the world to do it. I've been doing this for a long time at a high level and there aren't many guys who can say the same thing. I take pride in that."
The night carried on, the midnight oil was burned, and I watched as the Miller brothers traded story after story from days when life was a little more simple. Laughs were had by the truckload and there was no sign of the weight the perennial contender once carried.
There's no doubt Miller will go forward into the fray but he'll never go easy into anything. He'll fight every step of the way through because that's the only way he's ever known. It's the only way that makes it all worthwhile.
The only way it makes a difference.
A warm front snuck through two days prior with sheets of rain in its back pocket, bringing gales that knocked the typical calling card of a January in Indiana off the ground. The streets below shimmer in greens and reds while halogen lamp posts cast an eerie feel to where the metro proper gives way to warehouses and refineries.
Indianapolis has always been a blue-collar city, but the rows of high-rise condos flying up at a record rate signal to a shift in culture. And with change hovering in the air all around where Washington and West Streets intersect, it's fitting that Jim Miller is sitting in the center of it all.
The hard knock fighter from the New Jersey woodlands is in good spirits while his older brother Dan and lifelong friend Pat McGurrin sling punchlines back and forth on their "Hands On Podcast", but when a topic of a more personal nature is introduced, things shift to reflect the darkness just beyond the glass.
Miller is a fighter born and bred, and because of this he never gave much thought to how or when his fighting career would end.
A throwback to a different time and era, the rustic outdoorsmen who makes a living prizefighting inside a cage simply figured when the best of what he had left to offer was no longer good enough, he'd simply walk away.
Nov 12, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Jim Miller (red gloves) fights Thiago Alves (blue gloves) during UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
The Miller family is filled with fighters, all filed under different definitions, but the one common thread is how they collectively view adversity. Most people walking this earth run from conflict, but in the Miller household there was always a lesson to be learned and a step to be taken by pushing through.
On March 5, 2016 one of the longest standing fighters in the UFC lightweight division found himself looking at the end line.
The 33-year-old found himself on the losing end of a three-round battle with fellow veteran Diego Sanchez at UFC 196, and once the four ounce gloves came off, a defeated Miller started to accept he'd never put them on again.
"It was right after the Diego fight where I hit my lowest point," Miller told FloCombat. "I had been putting on this front for so long because I'm not the type to make any type of excuses. I was sick and it was taking a serious toll on me, but I just kept pressing forward figuring everything would right itself. My body wasn't right going into that fight, but I figured I could tough my way through.
"I figured once the punches started flying I'd snap into the same mode that's gotten me through all of my other fights. It didn't happen and that's when I had the conversation with Dan about not fighting anymore.
"It's true and that conversation was a difficult one," Dan Miller added. "Nobody knew what Jim was dealing with, and as a brother all I could do was help in whatever fashion I could. We are fighters and how we make a living is by stepping inside that cage, and I've had my fair share of situations just like it. We were raised to show up to do a job and that's what we've always done. Jim had a talk with me and said he was pretty sure he was done. I know my brother so I told him to give it some time and think on it. I'm glad he did."
March 5, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Diego Sanchez is declared the winner against Jim Miller during UFC 196 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Sitting next to the younger Miller brother I can see the tattoo etched into the skin on his right forearm. In a swirl of black and blue ink it reads "Do Not Go Gentle", the famous words of poet Dylan Thomas, serving as stamped reminder to live a life worth living.
As Miller begins to address the inscription and the purpose for it all emotions begin to kick up, but he's a fighter through and through. He clears his throat and proceeds to lay it all on the table.
"Once I found myself in that place I decided I was just going to say yes to everything," Miller revealed. "If that meant driving 14 hours to go on a crazy journey to see Bret 'The Hitman' Hart and fulfill my lifelong dream of jumping off the top rope at a wrestling show I was going to do it. I've never been one to ever feel sorry for myself and the Lyme disease was just kicking my ass. I was stuck and didn't know what to do, so rather than get lost any further I decided to dive in full speed."
And that's what Miller did.
The savvy veteran laced up his boots and set about dedicating his time to the things that made him happy. No matter what the endeavor, Miller simply agreed to live without restrictions and somewhere along the way a corner was turned. The medicine he'd been taking to combat his illness started making a difference, and slowly but surely his capacities and motivations returned.
Miller has never been one to talk about second chances and things of that nature, but with a new lease on his health, he vowed to keep pressing his mental attack the same way he'd pushed his physical for years.
He didn't want to call it a comeback because it meant more than a win/loss record. This was his life and the very way he'd fought to have it, and there was nothing going to take that away from him.
"I've never been a selfish person but I had to put the focus on myself in that space," Miller said. "When it rained it poured and there were a lot of things going wrong at a time I could barely get out of bed. Once I got my feet back under me, I stayed in attack mode because my career is at the center of it all. The old Jim gave hell to anyone I stepped in that cage with, and getting back to that was what I needed to do.
"That's why I don't talk about reinvention or a new chapter or any of that other bullshit. This is who I am and who I've always been, but because of an illness I had to find my way back to it. I've done that and life is pretty damn great."
Time has a funny way of shaping things and that certainly isn't lost on Miller.
Nearly a year had passed since we drove in a car together cutting west down I-74 while the rest of my family slept in the back. 30 feet behind us a caravan rolled on with his brother Dan and camping trip survivor Hunter Homistek trailing behind. Somewhere in that four hour drive the topic of Miller's performance came to call, and the reveal was shocking.
We'd just passed the state line and crossed over into Illinois when Miller revealed he'd been battling Lyme disease for more than a year, and once that information was offered, the proof was speckled everywhere across his recent track record. The full throttle scrapper I'd always seen enter the cage was a reduced version, so much in fact I had chosen that drive to talk about his future in fighting.
As it would turn out, that conversation happened at the very onset of his new mental push, and he'd already started to feel a touch toward the better. 10 months later and a much different man sat across from me at roughly the same distance from the day we made that drive.
In the space between Miller scored three impressive victories over tough competition. In those fights the gritty, win at all cost fighter returned to the forefront, and he was able to do the job he's loved to do for more than a decade in the way he's always loved to do it.
"The win over Takanori Gomi really put things back on track," Miller said. "There was never anything officialy said as to whether I was fighting for my job or not, but that didn't matter to me because I was fighting for a hell of a lot more than that. I was fighting to prove I still belonged in there and I sure enough went out and did it.
"I had a close fight with [Joe] Lauzon and then a solid performance against Thiago Alves. I mean that guy has been in there with the best 170-pound fighters in the world, and getting that win was a great way to close out a year that started in such rough fashion. I was fighting to get my career back, my body back and now I'm climbing to the top."
In typical Miller fashion he will kick off his campaign in the new year against one of the toughest talents in the division. Dustin Poirier has been a force since moving up from the featherweight fold and has found success in all but one of his showings at 155 pounds.
Their matchup at UFC 208 will determine which of the two hard-nosed fighters will move up into the title contention conversation, but even that storyline isn't enough to get Miller's blood pumping. Every time Miller steps into the cage he does so to fight his ass off, and with Poirier meeting him in the center of the Octagon he knows he has a dance partner who is more than willing to mix up the ruckus.
And that is what has Miller excited for Feb. 11 in Brooklyn.
Aug 27, 2016; Vancouver, BC, Canada; Joe Lauzon (red gloves) reacts to fight against Jim Miller (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
"Dustin is a tough kid and he always shows up to fight," Miller said. "He's a guy I like to watch and that makes him a guy I want to fight. I'm always looking to test myself against the best guys in the world and Dustin is a guy who has been making some noise at 155. He had a great run at 145 and he has a lot of experience inside the cage. I think we are both versatile fighters who are always looking for the finish and that's going to make it exciting for the fans.
"I chased a title shot for a long time and I don't let those things get in and mess up my head. Would I love to get a fight with Conor McGregor for a sh*t ton of money? Yeah, who wouldn't? But I'm the guy the UFC texts when they need a fight and I've never turned them down or pulled out of a fight. I've always shown up, and sometimes...as we've discussed, that hasn't always been in my best interest.
"There's a lot left to do in my career, but when it's all said and done I'm going to be remembered as a guy who fought his ass off inside that cage and was one of the best in the world to do it. I've been doing this for a long time at a high level and there aren't many guys who can say the same thing. I take pride in that."
The night carried on, the midnight oil was burned, and I watched as the Miller brothers traded story after story from days when life was a little more simple. Laughs were had by the truckload and there was no sign of the weight the perennial contender once carried.
There's no doubt Miller will go forward into the fray but he'll never go easy into anything. He'll fight every step of the way through because that's the only way he's ever known. It's the only way that makes it all worthwhile.
The only way it makes a difference.