Jim Miller reacted to Anthony Smith saying he would have a "50/50 chance" of defeating Brock Lesnar in a MMA fight.
Over the last 15 years, Miller has established himself as the UFC’s best-kept secret, as he’s fought (42) and won (25) in the Octagon more than anyone. Although some casual fans might not know him, the 40-year-old has earned the respect of most fighters and analysts.
Earlier this week, UFC light heavyweight Smith received backlash for saying Miller could potentially defeat former UFC heavyweight champion Lesnar. Most of the MMA community ridiculed him for the claim, while others agreed it wasn’t impossible.
During the UFC Vegas 84 media day, Miller reacted to Smith’s hot take by saying:
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“Of course [I agree]. I’m glad he throws me in there. As a fighter, years ago Ronda [Rousey] said she could beat Cain [Velasquez] and that’s a difficult fight, but the mentality has to be there. When you start walking to the Octagon, it is the loneliest place on the planet. I firmly believe in training like an up-and-comer, training like the guy you’re fighting is better than you and they are doing more than you and doing it better than you are. The moment it’s fight day, you have to be the most confident person on the planet.”
Miller continued:
“It would be scary as sh*t [to fight Brock Lesnar], but I’m going to walk to that Octagon knowing my bank account is going to get a big bump like, hey, we’re going to take this. I’ve trained with plenty of heavyweights through the years. My team now is a little bit smaller than me, but I don’t like to bring it up because training is training…I’ve trained with plenty of heavyweight world champ grapplers and stuff like that and subbed them out. So, I know if I can isolate something, I could kimura Brock Lesnar. I know that I could.”
Watch Jim Miller react to Anthony Smith saying he could potentially defeat Brock Lesnar below:
What’s next for Jim Miller?
Jim Miller last fought in June 2023, defeating Jesse Butler with a vicious 23-second knockout. On Saturday, January 13, Miller looks to continue building momentum when he makes his 43rd walk to the Octagon.
Miller will be featured on the UFC Vegas 84 main card in a lightweight bout against Gabriel Benitez. The 35-year-old hasn’t fought since defeating Charlie Ontiveros by first-round TKO in August 2022.
It'll be intriguing to see if 'A-10' can continue denying Father time by securing a win and staying injury-free so he can fight at UFC 300.