The clock is running down on Jim Miller’s career.
But don’t get it twisted, the UFC veteran is making every single minute count. Miller got back to winning ways last weekend at UFC Vegas 74, where he dropped UFC debutant Jesse Butler in just 23 seconds.
‘The Light At The End Of The Tunnel’
Miller currently has the most fights (42) and also the most wins (25) in UFC history. Extending these feats more and more every time he competes, Miller admits his record-breaking days in the Octagon are almost over.
“I can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Miller said on The Believe You Me Podcast. “You know, the end of my career coming up. I don’t know when exactly it’s gonna be, but I know it’s sooner than [later]. I’m far closer to the end of my career than I am the beginning, you know?
“I was kind of thinking like, man, I might only have like two, three more walks [to the Octagon]. I was just kind of trying to suck it all up and really enjoy it. I enjoy fighting, I still love it. I still enjoy the process. I still enjoy everything about it. There are obviously things that like aren’t as fun, like cut weight and all that stuff. When you do get beat up, it’s not always the best thing, but it’s part of what we do. I’ve really been trying to just absorb as much of it as I can and have fun while I’m doing it.”
The Will To Go On
Miller, 39, explains why he has kept on fighting for as long as he has.
“To test my skills against somebody else,” Miller answered. “When it really comes down to it, I just love the competition of it.”
Miller’s MMA Bucket List
Along with his longtime dream of fighting at UFC 300, there is a few more things Miller would like to do before he shuts the door on his MMA career.
“As a fighter, obviously I always wanted not only to fight for the title, but to win the title. The sport is so much about timing. So, it’s like, ‘Hey, if I’m doing the right stuff there, there might be enough pressure if somebody drops out, there might be enough pressure on the UFC to say, ‘Hey, fuck it, we’ll throw Jim in there’,” Miller said with a laugh.
“That’s obviously something that I was always working for and just the timing of it. Like when I was 9-1 in the UFC, I was one fight away from beating Anderson Silva to 10 wins in the UFC in a short amount of time. So, I was right there, but ran into some really tough guys and nights that weren’t my best. The opportunity kind of slipped away from me. Other than that, other than fighting for the title, I just like challenging myself. So it’s about fighting tough opponents and dangerous opponents.”
One more thing from Miller on that note.
“I wanna Kimura somebody,” Miller added. “I recently wanna Kimura somebody. I’ve had some really close calls inside the Octagon and that was my move for so long.”
