Miller hopes for early win to get into position for UFC 300

MANILA, Philippines -- For 40-year-old Jim Miller, he will go down as a legend and probably a Hall of Famer in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

He holds the UFC records for the most bouts -- 42 going 43 this Sunday, January 14 -- most total wins with 25, and most victories in the lightweight division with 22.

And yet, he has yet to figure in a championship fight. Whatever the outcome of his match against Gabriel Benitez in UFC Fight Night on January 14, either he moves up or a bit down from his No. 36 ranking in the UFC.

At his age, he knows that time is not on his side, and yet, he remains optimistic about whatever chances come his way, “I’m am going to fight until I can’t.”

Unless he finds the fountain of youth and runs an incredible streak of good fortune, Miller is a bit too far away to get a match with its current champion Islam Makhachev. 

Or even land a spot in UFC 300 having fought in UFC 100 and UFC 200.

Miller, though, cannot be caught up in things beyond his control. All he can do is fight the guy in front of him and see where everything goes.

“I was asking to fight last November or December. I landed only two punches in my last fight and broke my thumb in the process,” Miller related. “I was chomping at the bit to get another at the end of the year but it didn’t happen. The plan was to fight in between.

So there would be no 10-and-a-half-month layoff before UFC 300. Being idle has never been my style and I am not going to start now.”

One thing that keeps Jim’s spirits up heading into the Benitez fight is his bagging his seventh performance of the night from his win against Jesse Butler.

“It was definitely great to get that extra bonus from my last fight. I had a couple of weeks not knowing who my opponent was and I found out who it was with two days to spare. It was nerve wracking. But he had a ton of amateur experience but it was his first in the UFC. To go out and perform well, it felt great. I didn’t break a sweat.”

Against Benitez, who hasn’t fought in close to a year and half, Miller cannot think about that.

“My goal is to make it a Jim Miller fight. Move forward and put pressure on him so he becomes reactive and doesn’t follow his game plan.” 

“There are hours of film on what works for me and what doesn’t. I am comfortable talking about game plans. It’s all out there. The goal is to press him and make him fight with him wary of my striking and submissions. I am going after the fight as hard as I can. If it means a knock down drag out fight let it be. Three months is enough time to recuperate and get myself back in the fight game.”

While UFC 300 is ideal, what is important for Miller is the win. Here, now, and on Sunday.

UFC Fight Night will be televised live in the Philippines t on the Premier Sports Channel on Skycable and Cignal and on the streaming application Blast TV.

The preliminary cards get underway at 5 a.m. with the main card that includes the Miller-Benitez bought starting at 8 a.m.