Jim Miller‘s steep drop from upper-echelon UFC contender to barely a top-10 lightweight has been shockingly fast and unexpected.
At UFC on Fox 3, the New Jersey native capped off a 1-2 stint with a second-round submission loss to Nate Diaz.
“Nate controlled the fight from bell to bell,” Miller said at the post-fight press conference. “He controlled the momentum and never let me get any significant shots in there. He fought a beautiful fight and had my number.”
Miller, who was finished for the first time in his career, was riding a seven-fight win streak around this time last year, but his title hopes were ruined by a decision loss to current UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson.
He later rebounded with a first-round submission victory over Melvin Guillard.
With the loss to Diaz, Miller finds himself at a crossroads in his career. He’ll either have to make the necessary adjustments to improve his overall game and get over the hump, or he could contemplate dropping to the featherweight division.
Here’s what we learned about Miller on Saturday night.