LAS VEGAS – In a fight with the kinds of statistics that might never be seen in the UFC again, Jim Miller took out Donald Cerrone on Saturday at UFC 276.
Miller (35-16 MMA, 24-15 UFC) and Cerrone (36-17 MMA, 23-14 UFC) came into the fight tied for most wins in UFC history, and after a second-round submission, Miller now holds the record alone. Cerrone retired after the loss.
Miller also holds the record for most fights in UFC history, as well as a slew of other marks at lightweight. Nearly a decade after struggling with what turned out to be Lyme disease and learning to live with it and adjust around it, Miller is having a career resurgence in its late stages.
“To get to this point, to kind of overcome some of the things I’ve had to overcome, I’m super proud of the things I’ve had to do,” Miller said at his post-fight news conference at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “I’m just a 5-foot-8 hillbilly from the woods of New Jersey. I’ve outlasted everybody and still finishing dangerous fighters inside the octagon.
“It was a great opportunity to share the octagon with ‘Cowboy.’ I feel like we’re both cut from the same cloth, that ‘Anytime, anywhere, any place’ mentality that feels like it might be going away in some instances in the younger generation.”
The fight against Cerrone took place at welterweight, largely because “Cowboy” took the bout on short notice after Bobby Green dropped out. Miller said the fact he didn’t have to cut weight made him feel good inside the cage.
And though it would stymie his potential to add to his record lightweight numbers, Miller said more fight at 170 pounds are possible.
“I definitely am (open to welterweight),” he said. “If the right opportunity at 170 arose, I’d be gung ho to do it.”
Check out Miller’s full interview in the video above.
Jim Miller open to more fights at welterweight after submission of ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone
