There's a stubborn side of Jim Miller the fighter himself has no problem admitting. Well, to be absolutely clear, it's not a trait he exactly appreciates being brought to his attention, but even the UFC lightweight veteran at his most bullish isn't one to deny truths.

Yet, there is a primal impulse coursing through his veins, and when the aforementioned stubbornness collides with his instinct and very much grounded and logical nature... the layers of the New Jersey native reveal themselves.

Miller has been a staple in the most competitive division in the most prominent promotion in mixed martial arts during the rise, peak, and (slight) decline of its powers. And while the model of what works to become a star has shifted and evolved before his eyes, the one thing that makes the whole damn thing tick just happens to be what he's very good at.

The Sparta native is a blood and guts fighter who doesn't show up to win on points. Cage or arena be damned, Miller sees fight night as any parking lot, backyard, or high-profile venue around the globe. He simply shows up to fight, and on more than a few occasions that approach has worked opposite his best interest.

"Finishing fights is always going to be my goal and that won't change," Miller told FloCombat. "At this point in my career, I know who I am. I will continue to remain true to myself and fight aggressively every single time. It's unfortunate I'm still making stupid mistakes at this point in my career, but if those mistakes are made while being aggressive and trying to finish the fight I'm fine with it.

"It's not a style that has made me millions of dollars. Look at Tyron Woodley getting crap for fighting a smart fight against Demian Maia. He fought the right fight. He always fights the right fight, and I have no problem with that because winners are rewarded more than guys who fight recklessly and go for broke.

"If my fighting style was rewarded, I would have a multi-million dollar home right now," Miller laughed. "And I don't."


Photo Credit: © Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Miller's fighting style endears him in the heart of fight fans who love a great scrap, and that's something he finds pride in even though it has come at the expense of his bank account.

"I've fought the last two [fights] the same way I've fought all the rest," Miller said. "That's just the way things go sometimes. Yeah, losing sucks... it really does, but if I go out and fight as hard as I can fight and give all I can give I'm not going to be super bent out of shape about it."

A pair of case studies can be found in his back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier and Anthony Pettis this year. Valor and tenacity were the common threads that ran through both scraps, but there were also pivotal moments to be found when Miller abandoned the strategic route for the chance to go for the throat, including in the second round of his unanimous-decision setback to Pettis at UFC 213 last month.

"I've been talking to my training partners a lot about this last one against Pettis," Miller said. "Hell, against Poirier as well. If I throw three or four more low kicks, he can't stand up and the fight is mine. It definitely would have been an ugly victory, but it was right there. There was the same opportunity against Pettis but in a different position.

"I got that takedown and started landing shots from the top, but me being me... I decided to get aggressive and took his back. I've been in bloodied fights before, and we all know this, and I know what it is like and how difficult it is to maintain position. It was a reckless move, and if you think about it, that was something I probably shouldn't have tried.

"I should have kept punching him in the face, win the round, and hope he gets desperate in the third so I can take that as well. But that's just not my style. I wasn't in there to win a decision over Anthony Pettis. Never in a moment of my training was my game plan to win a decision over Anthony Pettis. It was to put him away.

"Going to his back was reckless, but at the same time, it put me a couple of inches closer to finishing him, which was my entire plan from the jump," he continued. "I'm out there, I'm fighting to satisfy myself and squeaking out a win won't ever be how that's done. I want to finish who I'm fighting and sometimes that costs me... literally and figuratively speaking."


Photo Credit: © Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The true fighting foundation Miller was built upon was visible the day after his stitches were removed ​following his fight with Pettis. At that time, the hard-charging veteran Miller was already sending word to UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby that he was ready to jump back in for more.

There is yet to be anything set so far in regard to his next tilt, but if Miller has it his way, the wait won't be very long.

"I want to fight in October, but I don't know if that is going to happen," Miller said. "That's what I want though. It's tough to get on the cards right now with the way things are, but I'm hoping there is a spot they can throw me in there. I don't really care where I'm fighting as long as it's not New York."

When that next call comes and the next contract comes through to sign, there will be another name that will lead to another night of ruckus inside the cage. With two straight losses on his tally, there is plenty of motivation for Miller to stick and move, exploit his opponent's weakness, then hit the mat for a venture into what he's earned stripes doing on the ground.

That said, the safe play is Miller finding a line to hold in the middle of the Octagon and letting the chips fall where they may. If there were such a thing as a fight game detective, he'd have stacks upon stacks of video evidence (and blood samples or trace evidence as they call it on true crime shows) and the modus operandi would be clear.

Yet, blood and guts doesn't equal superstardom, and Miller has found a strange comfort in knowing what he's somehow not.



"I still have hope for this sport because it's so young in comparison to all the others," Miller said. "There are going to be growing pains, and I think we are in one of those modes right now. Listen, I'm in no way blind as to what garners promotional muscle and the star-building machine in this game.

"It's not about winning alone. I was 9-1 in the UFC, and even if I beat Benson Henderson, there was no guarantee I'm getting the title shot next. You have to have a demographic they are trying to build in order to get that push. Me being a [5-foot-8], brown-haired guy from rural New Jersey is not exactly a hot sell when it comes to building a new market.

"Look... I get that the entire city of Dublin closes down when Conor McGregor fights, but I'm quite proud to say Sparta, New Jersey, also goes dark when I step into the cage. Granted, we are talking about a Panera Bread and a general store, but those are semantics. That lone stop sign is happy to get a break from all that traffic. That should definitely not go into your story."