Jim Miller is the definition of a UFC legend.
The 41-year-old made his debut for Dana White’s promotion in Birmingham at UFC 89 on October 18, 2008, and is still fighting to this day.
He takes on Damon Jackson at UFC 309 on November 17 in what could be his last-ever appearance inside an octagon.
Statistics alone show Miller is in a league of his own, having the most fights and wins in UFC history to his name, but there is so much more to ‘A-10’ than numbers alone.
“I feel I have four parts to my career,” Miller told the BBC ahead of his last fight at UFC 300.
“The prelim career, Lyme disease, coming out of Lyme and figuring out how to make this work being over 35.
“And now I’ve figured it out and got the right people around me.”
UFC 300 was a landmark achievement for the New Jersey native as it meant that he had competed at UFC 100, UFC 200 and UFC 300 – some of the biggest events ever put on by White’s organisation.
Miller suffered from Lyme disease in the build-up to his UFC 200 fight in July 2016, but came out victorious after stopping Japan’s Takanori Gomi in the first round.
He wasn’t successful during his latest octagon appearance in April at UFC 300, but still managed to go the distance with fellow MMA veteran Bobby Green.
Miller has never fought for championship gold during his 16-year UFC career, but it has never been about winning titles for the American.
Growing up in Sparta, New Jersey, Miller came from a wrestling family and, as the youngest of two older brothers, was on the mat from as soon as he could walk.
‘A-10’ went to wrestling camp in 1997 with his brothers and was first introduced to MMA when one of his high school coaches brought a VHS of an early UFC fight into their class.
As Miller didn’t excel academically at college, he opened Miller Brothers MMA in Sparta, alongside brother Dan, who he trained alongside everyday.
After falling in love with the sport, Miller racked up a few fights and went 11-1 coming through the local ranks, before he got his opportunity with UFC.
Miller signed with White’s promotion on a four-fight exclusive contract in July 2008 alongside brother Dan after becoming a champion in the International Fight League.
His brother fought huge names like Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping during the beginning of his UFC career, which started on a five-fight win streak, but he retired seven years later in 2015.
“I was born a fighter. I was made to do this,” Miller said last year, when looking back at his top five UFC fights.
“I was made to be in this type of rough and tumble life. I’ve been able to hang around for years thus far and make the walk to the octagon so many times.
“When I look back at my UFC career and I look at how many times I’ve fought and all the opponents who I’ve fought it makes me proud to have gotten this far and to have been able to hang on this long.
“It’s definitely cool to have been a part of so many great events and so many great fights.”
Miller cites his 2012 bout with Joe Lauzon at UFC 155 as his top fight in the promotion.
“I was fighting a guy who I’d been super friendly with since the beginning and finally I had the opportunity to share the octagon with him,” Miller added.
“And we went out and put it all out there. I knew that he was going to come at me hard for the entire 15 minutes. There’s no quit in him and he definitely proved it.”
Lauzon certainly did prove he had no quit in him on that night in Las Vegas, as both men want all out in a bloody war over their 15-minute fight.
Miller was the aggressor in the first round, which exhausted him pretty quickly, but also managed to land some vicious elbows that opened up his American counterpart.
In the second round Miller was tired and instinctively resorted to a takedown to bring Lauzon to the ground where he attempted to set up a submission.
Lauzon then capitalised on a Miller mistake in their scramble on the ground, which allowed the former to get the better of the New Jersey man – something the latter says could have cost him the fight.
Using the deafening crowd inside the MGM Grand, Miller came out strong in the third round to win the final five minutes and gain a unanimous decision victory and Fight of the Night bonus.
“It was a special fight we both put on a gritty performance,” Miller said.
“The appreciation that we got from the fans that night was amazing, that’s one of the fights I definitely feel should end up in the [UFC] Hall of Fame.”
Miller is yet to be inducted into the UFC’s Hall of Fame that includes legends like Georges St-Pierre, Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
But having fought some of the UFC’s biggest stars such as Nate Diaz, Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier and Donald Cerrone, Miller is surely up for a shot if he retires at UFC 309.
His opponent at UFC 309 is 36-year-old Jackson, who made his debut in August 2014 and has won six of his total 13 bouts in White’s promotion.
Jackson previously fought current UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria in December 2020, but was knocked out after two-and-a-half minutes in the first round.
Jon Jones faces Stipe Miocic in UFC 309’s main event, while Oliveira takes on the returning Michael Chandler in a five-round co-main event.
UK fans can watch Miller vs Jackson in the prelims from 1 am GMT and the main event from 3 am live on TNT Sports Box Office.
