(Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
UFC lightweight Jim Miller (21-3) put himself back into striking distance of the UFC 155-lbs title last Friday night by stopping opponent Melvin Guillard with a first round rear-naked choke submission.
The two headlined the first UFC on FX event from Nashville, Tennessee which saw Guillard appearing close to finishing the fight in the opening minute after landing some solid punches to Miller’s chin.
Miller admits in a recent interview with Sherdog Radio (@ 1:59:45), that he was on “autopilot” and even after the fight was done, had a hard time recalling how he managed to take Guillard’s back to finish the fight.
“This was a fight where he hit that button and it knocked me down, and really from that point on, it was kind of just autopilot,” Miller said. “You just go into that mode where, ‘All right, now I have to do what I’m good at and what I have to do to win the fight.’ Enough playing around, type of deal. Honestly, after the fight, I was like, ‘How did I even get his back?’ Then I watched the fight and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I took him down. Now I remember.’”
Miller took down Guillard when he tried a flying knee. On the ground, the finish came quickly.
“I have a black belt for a reason,” Miller said. “I was able to pass pretty easily to side. He exploded up into me and I tend to kind of bait guys into that. If somebody’s going to give me their back, I’m going to let them do what they’re doing, allow them to do that and then capitalize, like I did. When he exploded up, it was kind of like, ‘OK, get back to your feet, but I’m going to make you pay for it.’”
Quote via Sherdog.com