Donald Cerrone no longer stands alone atop the UFC’s all-time wins list after UFC Fight Night 201.
Jim Miller now shares a portion of the record. He upset Nikolas Motta on Saturday to secure his 23rd victory inside the octagon, breaking out of a tie for second with Andrei Arlovski and Demian Maia.
Miller (34-16 MMA, 23-15 UFC) cracked Motta (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in their lightweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, landing a devastating punch followed by nasty shots on the ground for the TKO at the 1:58 mark of Round 2.
JIM MILLER DOES IT!
He ties Donald Cerrone for most wins in UFC history. #UFCVegas48 pic.twitter.com/QPNM58pJNj
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) February 20, 2022
The bout was part of the UFC Fight Night 201 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN+.
Motta came out of the gate looking sharp. He tagged Miller with a hard right hook within the first minute that caught the veteran’s attention, but Miller kept his composure and recovered. Miller chopped away with some nice leg kicks and kept solid pressure for the remainder of the round. Motta found a home for some solid counters, but nothing that was as impactful as his shot early in the round.
Miller’s confidence picked up in the second round. He started picking up the output, then lunged at Motta with a clean right hook to the chin that floored his opponent. He battered Motta on the mat, securing one of the most memorable victories of his career.
YOUR NEW ALL-TIME WIN LEADER – @JIMMILLER_155
[ #UFCVegas48 | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/CPna7eK9Hx
— UFC (@ufc) February 20, 2022
After the fight, Miller admitted his training camp was difficult due to injuries and family time. He has no intention of hanging up the gloves just yet, though, and said he’s going to keep rolling until the wheels fall off.
“There’s been a lot on my plate, but my goal has been to fight as hard as I can for as long as I can,” Miller said in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “You guys will know, and I’m excited to make that last walk to the octagon, but the next one won’t be the last one. I still want UFC 300.”
Got his targets set on UFC 300
[ @JimMiller_155 | #UFCVegas48 | Tune in LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/6Bn6iX08iw
— UFC (@ufc) February 20, 2022
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 201 results include:
- Jim Miller def. Nikolas Motta via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:58
- Joaquin Buckley def. Abdul Razak Alhassan via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- David Onama def. Gabriel Benitez via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:24
- Stephanie Egger def. Jessica-Rose Clark via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:44
- Chas Skelly def. Mark Striegl via TKO (knee, punches) – Round 2, 2:01
- Gloria de Paula def. Diana Belbita via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Chad Anheliger def. Jesse Strader via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:33
- Jonathan Pearce def. Christian Rodriguez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mario Bautista def. Jay Perrin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
