Cole Miller doesn’t think Conor McGregor should “get a fast track to the top.”
Miller, a contestant on Season 5 of The Ultimate Fighter, has set his sights on McGregor, whom he feels is trying to talk himself into a position he has ye…
Cole Miller doesn’t think Conor McGregor should “get a fast track to the top.”
Miller, a contestant on Season 5 of The Ultimate Fighter, has set his sights on McGregor, whom he feels is trying to talk himself into a position he has yet to earn, according to Steven Marrocco of MMAJunkie.com:
I think guys should earn their way. I don’t think you should get two fights, come off a decision win, and not look all that hot, and because you’re trying to get a new country as a fan base, and trying to win over a new country, get a fast track to the top.
McGregor has spent a good deal of time making sure his name is not forgotten as he heals up from an ACL injury that he suffered in his last fight at UFC Fight Night 26 in August. He won a decision over Max Holloway, raising his UFC record to 2-0.
Since the injury, he has taken to twitter, inflaming more than a few fighters and fans with his opinion of the fighters in his weight class.
His willingness to speak his mind has earned him the ire of Diego Sanchez and now Miller, who hasn’t seemed to take the Irishman’s antics as personally as Sanchez did.
“I think that paying your dues and having to grind, as so many others do, is best for MMA,” Miller told MMAJunkie radio.
Since graduating from TUF, Miller has a UFC record of 8-6, with notable wins over Jorge Gurgel, Junie Browning, Ross Pearson and Andy Ogle. He believes if he can remain free of injury that he can rise in the rankings.
And what does he think about McGregor, whom he feels has not earned his place on the fast track after just two fights in the UFC?
“He might be able to beat my ass,” Miller said. “But that’s my point: Come beat my ass, and then you can move up the ladder.”
In a rare move, Cole Miller has decided to dispute his decision loss to Manvel Gamburyan at UFC Fight Night 26 in Boston Saturday night.
Miller is not contesting the judges’ decision, though one might believe he ought be inclined to do so. Instead, Mil…
In a rare move, Cole Miller has decided to dispute his decision loss to Manvel Gamburyan at UFC Fight Night 26 in Boston Saturday night.
Miller is not contesting the judges’ decision, though one might believe he ought be inclined to do so. Instead, Miller is contesting that the extended break for Gamburyan between Rounds 1 and 2 renders the remainder of their featherweight bout moot.
Near the end of Round 1, Miller struck Gamburyan twice in the head with legal elbows. Gamburyan was visibly shaken and refused to stand or return to his corner. In a display of apparent incompetence, referee Yves Lavigne allowed Gamburyan an additional 70 seconds following the elapse of the one-minute mandatory corner break between rounds.
Mike Chiappetta and FoxSports.com report that Miller and his team found the extra time awarded to his foe an unfair and illegal advantage:
“It was just real odd,” Miller told Fox Sports. “The referee didn’t give any indication the fight was over, he also didn’t signal it was a foul. I looked at Manny and then the ref to see what was going on. I had my hand on Manny in a sportsmanlike way to sort of encourage the process and get things moving.
“A referee doesn’t have to say if a strike is legal, a referee has to say if a strike was illegal,” he continued. “No indication was made, but after the fight, the strike was deemed legal. The referee said it was a legal strike. To me, I’ve seen the footage and they all seem to indicate a legal strike.”
Miller does have a reasonable case. Since the strikes were indeed deemed legal, the referee should have demanded Gamburyan either answer the start of the second round or forfeit the match. Given Gamuryan was not ready within the mandated 60 seconds, the proper outcome would be a TKO victory for Miller.
Miller’s team has since indicated it plans to put forth a motion for appeal for the September 12 meeting of the Massachusetts state athletic commission. However, Miller has his doubts the case will bring any positive outcome.
“You see these types of things happen often, and very rarely does it go to the fighter making the dispute,” he said.
“I just know that fighters can’t get two minutes between rounds because they can’t answer the bell when their head hurts due to a legal strike. That’s not the way the rules work. I can only hope that they see it my way.”
Cole Miller was confused. Near the end of the first round of his UFC Fight Night 26 featherweight fight against Manny Gamburyan this past Saturday, “The Anvil” was working for a double leg takedown against the cage on Miller when Cole defended and hit him with two elbows before the horn.
The elbows were ruled legal and they hurt Gamburyan. Bad.
So much so that the former title challenger slumped down to his knees in an apparent daze and could not immediately stand up and walk to his own corner. In fact, he was on his knees in Miller’s corner.
“I didn’t really get it,” Cole told CagePotato on Sunday. “I looked at [referee ] Yves Lavigne, he was looking at Manny. I was unsure if the fight was over or if time had expired. I was looking for the ref to give us an idea of whether there was finality in the fight, or if it was an illegal blow. Later, Yves told me was a legal blow and so does the video. But at the time, if it was illegal I was looking for him to say so, take a point, give me a warning, call the fight or something. It was a confusing situation. Yves told me to go to my corner but I told him, ‘I am in my corner.’ The way Manny was there on the ground in my corner, I couldn’t raise my hands, walk away and go to my corner or anything. They actually moved me and my corner to another area while he stayed there on the ground. Yves was pointing to a direction for me to go. I was thinking, ‘I’m in my corner. Someone needs to take him to his corner.’ Over a minute and twenty passed before they had the doctor even look at him.”
The break between rounds for fighters is a minute long. If a fighter cannot answer the start of the next round, they lose, normally. Examples of this have been seen throughout MMA, kickboxing and boxing history.
If you’re so beat up that you can’t answer the next round’s bell, you’re done. You’ve lost.
Cole Miller was confused. Near the end of the first round of his UFC Fight Night 26 featherweight fight against Manny Gamburyan this past Saturday, “The Anvil” was working for a double leg takedown against the cage on Miller when Cole defended and hit him with two elbows before the horn.
The elbows were ruled legal and they hurt Gamburyan. Bad.
So much so that the former title challenger slumped down to his knees in an apparent daze and could not immediately stand up and walk to his own corner. In fact, he was on his knees in Miller’s corner.
“I didn’t really get it,” Cole told CagePotato on Sunday. “I looked at [referee ] Yves Lavigne, he was looking at Manny. I was unsure if the fight was over or if time had expired. I was looking for the ref to give us an idea of whether there was finality in the fight, or if it was an illegal blow. Later, Yves told me was a legal blow and so does the video. But at the time, if it was illegal I was looking for him to say so, take a point, give me a warning, call the fight or something. It was a confusing situation. Yves told me to go to my corner but I told him, ‘I am in my corner.’ The way Manny was there on the ground in my corner, I couldn’t raise my hands, walk away and go to my corner or anything. They actually moved me and my corner to another area while he stayed there on the ground. Yves was pointing to a direction for me to go. I was thinking, ‘I’m in my corner. Someone needs to take him to his corner.’ Over a minute and twenty passed before they had the doctor even look at him.”
The break between rounds for fighters is a minute long. If a fighter cannot answer the start of the next round, they lose, normally. Examples of this have been seen throughout MMA, kickboxing and boxing history.
If you’re so beat up that you can’t answer the next round’s bell, you’re done. You’ve lost.
Gamburyan, of course, didn’t lose the fight. He was given far more time to recover than he was supposed to be allowed, and then he continued on for two more rounds. After three rounds, he was declared the winner by the judges, presumably on the basis of his repeated leg kicks, take downs and ground control.
In a post fight interview with MMA Fighting, Gamburyan acknowledged that “maybe” the fight should have been stopped after the first round, though he disagrees with Miller that the strikes were legal. UFC President Dana White said that he scored the fight for Miller, who left Gamburyan’s face a cut, bloodied and swollen mess, but said that Cole essentially sabotaged himself by sticking around Manny after the first round and appearing to check on his condition. White told reporters after the event that Miller should have just gone to his corner.
“I was in my corner.” the irritated ATT fighter emphasizes. “I was in my corner. Where was I supposed to go? I hit him with legal blows and he couldn’t continue and couldn’t go to his corner. I was kind of propping him up so he wouldn’t fall on my leg. I couldn’t walk off to get instruction, we were already there in my corner.”
That confusion and officiating mishandling aside, Miller feels that he won the fight a second time, or deserved to. “I don’t really know how they score things in Massachusetts,” he says.
“I don’t know if they score things differently for MMA or what. The effective grappling part definitely went to Manny because of his takedowns. I wasn’t able to do anything about that, he had all takedowns but I had all the striking and did all the damage. I cut him twice. He’s a tough dude, to his credit. He earned every bit of it. I hit him with knees, punches and kicks so hats off to him. I just think they made the wrong call. I was trying to finish my opponent the whole fight.”
Cole and Manny were friendly before the fight, knowing one another since they spent six weeks training together on the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter on Jens Pulver’s team. With such a bitter taste in his mouth about this fight Cole insists that he still doesn’t harbor any negative feelings against Gamburyan.
“Manny didn’t do anything wrong. He fought the way he knows how and I fought the way I know how,” he says.
“He didn’t get the judges to call his name. He’s good and he fought well. I was just throwing those knees to take his head off. I’m not going to bug him for getting the decision.”
Cole says he doesn’t count this fight as a loss and, although he’d be willing to rematch Gamburyan, he isn’t calling for a re-do. “I’ve never wanted a rematch with anybody,” Cole maintains.
“A fight is a fight. If the UFC wants to make that happen, I’ll rematch anybody. But, I don’t want a rematch. For what? I fought the kind of fight I fight and he fought the way he fights. The judges made the wrong call, that’s it. There is no need for a rematch.”
Heading into his featherweight bout against Bart Palaszewski last April, Cole Miller had lost two fights in a row for the first time in his ten-year MMA career. He did not want to lose a third.
A third straight loss would likely mean being cut by the UFC, where he’s made his living for the past six years. “Not losing for a third time wasn’t really motivation, it was just a matter of the fact that if I lost, I’d be out,” he tells CagePotato.
“I had to think about things I’d do outside of fighting to make money if I got cut and had to fight on smaller shows again where the pay isn’t as good as the UFC’s. I thought about things I could do and how I could set myself up other than fighting in order to make a living.”
Miller did not lose for a third consecutive time, however, and he has another UFC bout scheduled at this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 26 in Boston. It wasn’t long after he stopped Palaszewski with a rear naked choke at the TUF 17 Finale that Cole was looking for another fight.
“[The feeling of winning again] was a relief, mostly,” he remembers. “Bart might be the best guy I’ve ever beaten. I turned my attention to fighting again pretty soon, though. I thought I’d be able to get another fight in before now, maybe as a substitute or something, but I wasn’t able to.”
Heading into his featherweight bout against Bart Palaszewski last April, Cole Miller had lost two fights in a row for the first time in his ten-year MMA career. He did not want to lose a third.
A third straight loss would likely mean being cut by the UFC, where he’s made his living for the past six years. “Not losing for a third time wasn’t really motivation, it was just a matter of the fact that if I lost, I’d be out,” he tells CagePotato.
“I had to think about things I’d do outside of fighting to make money if I got cut and had to fight on smaller shows again where the pay isn’t as good as the UFC’s. I thought about things I could do and how I could set myself up other than fighting in order to make a living.”
Miller did not lose for a third consecutive time, however, and he has another UFC bout scheduled at this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 26 in Boston. It wasn’t long after he stopped Palaszewski with a rear naked choke at the TUF 17 Finale that Cole was looking for another fight.
“[The feeling of winning again] was a relief, mostly,” he remembers. “Bart might be the best guy I’ve ever beaten. I turned my attention to fighting again pretty soon, though. I thought I’d be able to get another fight in before now, maybe as a substitute or something, but I wasn’t able to.”
Instead, Miller settles for an incredibly tough fight against fellow TUF 5 season member Manny Gamburyan about four months after his last fight. Miller says he’s worked hard to improve between appearances, but that the Armenian judoka poses unique challenges.
“I would say that yeah, I’ve improved since April,” Cole says. “But Manny is such a specific challenge that it’s really more about preparing for him than anything. His size and his style make for such a unique fight.”
Both fighters, of course, are featherweights but Miller is 6’1″ to Gamburyan’s 5’5″. Cole knows that it won’t be enough to simply have a longer reach than his opponent — not when that opponent has an aggressive style and hits like an anvil.
“He just keeps coming forward, throwing bombs,” Cole says of Manny.
“He has an unorthodox striking style but hits hard and doesn’t stop swinging until he drops his opponents or takes them down. And on the ground he’s good as well, but most of his stuff comes from Judo, Sambo and catch wrestling, so it is different than the looks you get from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belts. We respect him but I know that I’ve done the training to be ready for what he’ll bring.”
On paper, this Saturday’s TUF 17 Finale card is dominated by wide mismatches. But which fights will actually be blowouts, and which ones will end in profitable upsets? Check out the betting lines below (via bestfightodds.com) and let’s see if we can win some cash off this thing.
MAIN CARD (FX, 9 p.m. ET)
Urijah Faber (-435) vs. Scott Jorgensen (+375)
Uriah Hall (-309) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (+325)
Cat Zingano (-115) vs. Miesha Tate (+106)
Travis Browne (-250) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (+240)
Robert McDaniel (-166) vs. Gilbert Smith (+155)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FUEL TV, 7 p.m. ET)
Josh Samman (-445) vs. Kevin Casey (+370)
Luke Barnatt (-124) vs. Collin Hart (+115)
Jimmy Quinlan (+100) vs. Dylan Andrews (+105)
Clint Hester (-160) vs. Bristol Marunde (+150)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 5:30 p.m. ET)
Bart Palaszewski (-160) vs. Cole Miller (+155)
Daniel Pineda (-120) vs. Justin Lawrence (+109)
Maximo Blanco (-200) vs. Sam Sicilia (+195)
If you’re confused about what the numbers mean, read this. Otherwise, let’s proceed…
On paper, this Saturday’s TUF 17 Finale card is dominated by wide mismatches. But which fights will actually be blowouts, and which ones will end in profitable upsets? Check out the betting lines below (via bestfightodds.com) and let’s see if we can win some cash off this thing.
MAIN CARD (FX, 9 p.m. ET)
Urijah Faber (-435) vs. Scott Jorgensen (+375)
Uriah Hall (-309) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (+325)
Cat Zingano (-115) vs. Miesha Tate (+106)
Travis Browne (-250) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (+240)
Robert McDaniel (-166) vs. Gilbert Smith (+155)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FUEL TV, 7 p.m. ET)
Josh Samman (-445) vs. Kevin Casey (+370)
Luke Barnatt (-124) vs. Collin Hart (+115)
Jimmy Quinlan (+100) vs. Dylan Andrews (+105)
Clint Hester (-160) vs. Bristol Marunde (+150)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 5:30 p.m. ET)
Bart Palaszewski (-160) vs. Cole Miller (+155)
Daniel Pineda (-120) vs. Justin Lawrence (+109)
Maximo Blanco (-200) vs. Sam Sicilia (+195)
If you’re confused about what the numbers mean, read this. Otherwise, let’s proceed…
The Main Event: Without disrespecting the man too much, let’s just say that Scott Jorgensen is only in the main event because Urijah Faber needed somebody to fight. A win for Faber is the most likely scenario here…but man, are those odds bloated or what? Keep in mind that Faber has been relatively inconsistent since his WEC heyday, and has been alternating neatly between wins and losses during his UFC career. (Both Faber and Jorgensen are coming off of submission victories, by the way.) At -435, putting money on the California Kid is definitely not worth the risk. On the other hand, a small bet on Jorgensen (+375) might be. Consider it.
The Co-Main Event: I have to admit, the Uriah Hall hype train has swept me off my feet and I like it, baby. I think Hall is a lock against Kelvin Gastelum, and it’s not just because of his explosive power or flashy Tekken-kicks — it’s also his maturity, his confidence, and his experience edge. Of the five opponents on Gastelum’s professional record, only one had a winning record when they fought. Meanwhile, Hall has already been in the cage with UFC-level talents like Chris Weidman and Costa Philippou, and learned valuable lessons from those fights. Gastelum is an incredible raw talent, but he needs seasoning; Hall already has it. Betting on Uriah won’t be profitable, but it’s a fairly safe investment.
The Ladies: It’s somewhat surprising that Cat Zingano — who isn’t a familiar Strikeforce crossover — is a slight favorite over a known quantity like Miesha Tate. Zingano certainly looks the part, and Rose Namajunas told us that she’s a stud wrestler and rapidly improving striker, in addition to her BJJ base. But until Cat experiences her first fight on a big stage against a top talent like Tate, I wouldn’t suggest betting on her. Small money on Miesha is probably the way to go.
Another Good ‘Dog: If Cole Miller (+155) can bring the fight to the ground, Bart Palaszewski is in deep shit. That is all.
Proceed With Caution: Six months ago, Browne vs. Gonzaga would have been a no-brainer. Travis Browne was the nasty up-and-comer, and Gabriel Gonzaga was the irrelevant can-crusher. Then, Browne blew a hammy while firing some ridiculously unnecessary jumping front kicks against Bigfoot Silva, and Gonzaga went and choked out Ben Rothwell — his greatest UFC victory since his infamous head kick knockout of Mirko Cro Cop. So is Napao back? And will Browne keep it simple this time, for God’s sake? My gut tells me that Browne has this in the bag, but my mind tells me to skip it, just in case.
The Official CagePotato “Safe” Parlay: $5 on Faber+Hall+Tate+Barnatt returns a $22.77 profit on BetUS.
The Unofficial CagePotato “So Crazy It Just Might Work?” Parlay: $5 on Jorgensen+Gonzaga+Casey+Marunde+Miller+Sicilia returns a $5,431.40 profit.
UFC featherweight Cole Miller (18-6) doesn’t mince words and isn’t initially open to reflection today. He’s on his way from Miami’s international airport to Los Angeles, where he will fight Nam Pham this Saturday, August 4th, on the preliminary card of UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera.
Traveling is hardly ever any fun, and it must be less so for someone cutting weight, as Miller is. And when he’s asked what he may have learned from his last fight, a loss to Steven Siler in March, Miller is hard on himself.
“I wouldn’t say I learned anything from that fight. I just looked like shit,” he deadpans. “I moved backwards too much, I tried to counter too much, which is not really my game. I don’t know why I did that.”
Miller has never lost two fights in a row in his MMA career — and admits to a certain pride in that — but says that these days, losing at all is not acceptable. “When I was younger [losing two in a row] really meant that you didn’t learn from your previous mistake or didn’t work hard enough. Now its more of a, ‘losing sucks, period,’ feeling,” he says.
UFC featherweight Cole Miller (18-6) doesn’t mince words and isn’t initially open to reflection today. He’s on his way from Miami’s international airport to Los Angeles, where he will fight Nam Pham this Saturday, August 4th, on the preliminary card of UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera.
Traveling is hardly ever any fun, and it must be less so for someone cutting weight, as Miller is. And when he’s asked what he may have learned from his last fight, a loss to Steven Siler in March, Miller is hard on himself.
“I wouldn’t say I learned anything from that fight. I just looked like shit,” he deadpans. “I moved backwards too much, I tried to counter too much, which is not really my game. I don’t know why I did that.”
Miller has never lost two fights in a row in his MMA career — and admits to a certain pride in that — but says that these days, losing at all is not acceptable. “When I was younger [losing two in a row] really meant that you didn’t learn from your previous mistake or didn’t work hard enough. Now its more of a, ‘losing sucks, period,’ feeling,” he says.
Miller’s opponent, Phan, is also coming off of a loss, to Jimmy Hettes at UFC 141 last December. Miller says he can’t take away much from Phan’s last bout, either.
“Nam got rocked in the first round and I think he never really recovered,” he says. “I don’t really think his last fight showed much of anything other than that he is hard to finish. He nearly got TKO’d from punches from the top, he’s got solid boxing and good conditioning, and he hasn’t been finished in years. He’s also a black belt in Karate so he’s got good kicks.”
Phan also happens to be a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but Miller believes he’ll have the advantage on the ground. He’ll just have to get it there.
“I think I have an advantage on the ground for sure, but its all about being able to take it and keep it there,” Miller says. “Nam seems non engaging on the ground, more defensive. When Mike Brown took him down in their fight, he didn’t play Jiu Jitsu at all, he just tried to get up. When he was in Leonard Garcia’s closed guard, he mostly looked to ground and pound. I’m sure his Jiu Jitsu is good, we just haven’t seen him play that game much.”
At 6’1, Miller will have a huge reach advantage over Phan, and the American Top Team member hopes that will make his striking attack that much more potent.
“I hope [my reach] will have a big impact on my striking successfully. But the thing about reach is that it doesn’t mean anything if you cant establish it,” he explains. “That’s what the game is going to be — can I keep him where I want him? Can I keep him at a distance or in really tight and out of that middle range, or is he going to punch me up?”
One thing Miller seems certain of is that he will feel strong and be conditioned. He recently went back down to his old weight of 145 pounds, after spending his UFC career at lightweight.
“This is the best shape ever been in. Naturally, it’s fight week so I’m annoyed, low on weight. This part is the sucky part but this is part of the game. I feel strong this late, and I did well with other training partners that fight at the same weight class. This is my weight class,” he says.
One of those training partners is former WEC champion Mike Brown, who has previously faced and beaten Phan. Miller says he did ask Brown for tips, but that help can only go so far since he and Brown are completely different types of fighters.
“I got some sparring in with [Brown] during camp,” Miller says. “But the thing is, Nam is going to come at me with a completely different type of game than he did with Mike Brown. Mike and I are basically polar opposites. Sure, you ask about little things like how he felt, but I don’t put much stock into video or what somebody else tells me. My game is nothing like anything else Nam has ever fought.”
Miller will be the outsider coming in to face the Southern California resident Phan, on Saturday. It’s a role that, even if he doesn’t relish it, he has gotten used to.
“I haven’t fought in my home state, in Georgia or Florida since 2006 so fighting guys in their home is something I do,” Miller says. “It is more motivating than anything else. I know they are motivated. If I was able to fight in my hometown I’d be more motivated than I ever had been before, I’d be putting in even more work, pushing it extra hard and I expect my opponent is trying to do the same thing. So, I’m putting in the work and driving myself extra to exceed that.”
Cole Miller doesn’t think Conor McGregor should “get a fast track to the top.”
