Jim Miller knows he’s in for a wild fight against Bobby Green and he’s more than ready for it.
Miller (32-15 MMA, 21-14 UFC) faces Green at UFC 258 on Feb. 13 in a matchup he already prepared for almost seven years ago when the pair was matched up at UFC 172. But Green withdrew a week before the fight with an injury.
Green (27-11-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC), who’s known for his all-out wars, brings more than just the fight. He has a knack for talking to his opponents mid-fight, and Miller is looking forward to throwing down with him.
“I’m a fan of him,” Miller told MMA Junkie Radio. “He’s one of those guys I kind of always wanted to fight because he’s got a very unique style. It’s one I would have liked a little more time to prepare for, but whatever. It’s the way it seems to go for me these days is that I only get about two weeks. So either way, I’m excited to fight him.”
Miller, who’s tied with Donald Cerrone for most fights in UFC history at 36, has fought a who’s-who, from Dustin Poirier to Charles Oliveira to Nate Diaz. But despite competing against the lightweight division’s elite throughout his career, he admits he hasn’t quite faced a challenge like Green before.
That said, Miller loves the tumultuous nature of this matchup.
“He’s just got that different style,” Miller said. “I’ve seen pretty much everything there is to see inside the octagon, and I haven’t fought somebody that strikes with the style that he does. We almost fought in 2014, so I had time to prepare for it and just kind of getting that look – getting reps in of dealing with somebody that moves that way. But yeah, when it comes to the fray and the chaos, that’s what I’m always striving for. That’s where I’m the best at what I do.
“When I’m working at my best, I’m not planning things, I’m not setting things up. I’m trying to move and make my opponent just be reactive, and then my body takes over and it’s like there’s elevator music going on in my head and things are just happening, and that’s when I perform at my best and that’s when I pull off things that I might not have ever done even in the gym.”