UFC Fighter Jim Miller on Edgar-Bendo, Guillard, Strikeforce and Epic Beard

Fred: We’re here with UFC lightweight Jim Miller. How you doing, Jim?

Jim Miller: I’m doing very good.

Fred: What brings you here today at the MMA World Expo in New York?

Jim Miller: Just meeting the fans, taking some pictures, stuff like that.

Fred: Are you stunned that MMA isn’t legalized in New York yet, and that the UFC had to file a lawsuit just to try to get it legalized?

Jim Miller: It’s really disappointing, to be honest. There are so many opportunities for publicity and for everybody to make money, and it just doesn’t make sense that it’s not legalized yet.

Fred: Before we get to your fight with Melvin Guillard, I’d like to ask about your nephew, Daniel Miller. How’s he holding up right now? I know they started the foundation, and he had to go in for surgery. What’s his progress?

Jim Miller: Right now he’s doing pretty well. He has to deal with stuff every day, and even the surgery that’s booked a couple of days after my fight isn’t the end-all, be-all for him. It’s just another hurdle. I’d just like to thank everybody in the MMA community for helping out and easing the burden a little bit on them. He’s got a rough road ahead of him.

Fred: God bless him. Where can fans and people watching at home donate?

Jim Miller: On Twitter, there’s the DJM Foundation. You can follow them and find out information. You can also go to AMAFightClub.com. There’ll be links to the foundation and how to donate and help out.

Fred: On a lighter note, you’re fighting Melvin Guillard at UFC on FX. How’s your training going? I know you had a tough loss against Ben Henderson. How have you been rebounding from that after a seven-fight win streak?

Jim Miller: Just getting back in the gym and doing what I was doing. I had a rough night last time out. I wasn’t myself, and I paid for it, so this time I’m trying to stay healthy and be my best when I step into the Octagon. I’m getting ready, and I’m excited about it.

Fred: Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson are fighting at UFC 144 in Japan. Who you got?

Jim Miller: I can’t count Frankie out. He’s tough as nails, and we’ve seen him in a lot deeper water and deeper trouble than we’ve seen Ben in, and he’s come out of it. Frankie looked great in his last fight, putting away Gray. I’ve got to pick Frankie.

Fred: Melvin Guillard is a great fighter himself, but you’ve been pretty consistent throughout your entire career. I believe you only have three losses, and you’ve never been finished. With Melvin, it seems like every time he starts to go on a run, like before the Joe Lauzon fight, he falls off. How shocked were you to see him lose?

Jim Miller: Melvin is a dangerous fight for anybody at lightweight and a majority of guys at 170 as well, but he does have weaknesses. The thing with him is, you’ve got to fight him, and that’s my style. You’ve got to get in there, press him and get in his face, and when guys do that, that’s when he makes mistakes. Same as always, my plan is to move forward and make him fight my fight.

Fred: Optimistically speaking, say you win this fight. How far from a title shot do you think you’d be? We’ve seen guys like Chael Sonnen have a loss, like to Demian Maia, then win a couple of fights against top guys and get back in contention.

Jim Miller: Melvin is a tough guy, and he was right up there as well. I hope the seven fights I had before this last one still hold some weight. So I think another really good matchup or two, and I’ll be right back where I was.

Fred: We’ve been asking everybody this: What do you feel is the biggest story of 2011 in MMA? We’ve had the rise of Jones, the WEC merger and Strikeforce getting bought out.

Jim Miller: That’s a tough one. Strikeforce being bought out was pretty big news, and it holds a lot of weight in MMA, so that’s pretty big.

Fred: Are you disappointed Gilbert Melendez isn’t coming to the UFC now with the new Strikeforce-Showtime deal? I know you’ve expressed interest in fighting him.

Jim Miller: I want to prove that I’m the best against the best guys in the world, and there will always be that doubt with somebody of his caliber being in another organization with no crossover. So it’s disappointing, but I’m sure down the road it’s going to happen. You’ve just got to wait it out. There are still some other fights that need to be sorted out.

Fred: You train with a great group of guys at AMA. Anybody under the radar we should take a look at, who might be on the come-up?

Jim Miller: With the announcement of the 125s, our resident 125-pounder, Sean “Shorty Rock” Santella. He keeps all the big guys on their toes and keeps up with everybody. That’s a guy you should definitely keep your eye on, and he should be one of the first guys in that division.

Fred: I’ll get you on this: How can I grow an epic beard like Jim Miller?

Jim Miller: Just let it go. Don’t listen to your wife when she says to cut it, or when she says she doesn’t like the mustache. You’ve just got to let it go.

Fred: Where can your fans find you online?

Jim Miller: They can follow me on Twitter, and I have a Facebook page. AMA Fight Club has all the links.

Fred: Awesome. Best of luck in the fight.

Jim Miller: Pleasure.