Issue 193

The UFC lightweight analyzes his latest victory and offers a frank self-assessment.

Coming off the unanimous decision victory over the always tough and potential Hall of Famer Jim Miller, what are your major takeaways from the fight?

I just went out there with a game plan and the game plan worked out great. We were cautious about a few things including his guillotine, his armbar and his leg locks. Aside from those, the plan worked out great. It was a good proving ground to show that I am a very good grappler despite what they thought after the Gregor Gillespie fight. I went out there and made a statement and let everyone know that I am not to be toyed with. 

It’s your style to take it all in during the first round, which held true in this fight. Can you walk us through that mindset and how it went in your opinion against Miller?

It’s a pretty sketchy thing against a guy like Miller because a lot of his wins come in the first round. It was about weathering a storm. We knew he was going to be most dangerous in the first round. We knew he was going to be looking for a submission. I had a feeling he would go for the takedown a little more than he did. I was being super cautious in that first round. I didn’t want to get caught in any really bad situation grappling-wise. The smallest, little mistake can cost you everything in this. I executed the game plan perfectly. Honestly, everything we went over he threw at me, so we were well prepared for it.   

The second round you basically made it your job to wear him out. After the feeling out in the first round, was it just on in the second round?

He won the first round. We knew that. My style is just that of a steamroller. I am going to start off slow but I am going to keep increasing the pressure and the pain until either I quit, you quit or one of us knocks the other out. I will keep increasing my pressure and my power.

Speaking as the steamroller, can you physically feel that pressure affecting your opponent in the fight?

Yeah, most definitely. I am strong as shit. I know that I am stupidly strong. I wear a lot of guys out in the gym from it. I wear a lot of guys out in the fight from it. It’s just something that you really can’t train for. My strength is a hard thing for guys to train for. That’s what gives a lot of guys issues. They don’t realize how stupidly strong I am until it’s too late. That’s part of what you saw against Miller. He is a very tough dude. He’s a well-known black belt. He subbed some of the best grapplers in MMA. My strength was too much for him. That is what allowed me to manhandle him and deal with a lot of his stuff. 

Speaking of Miller’s legendary toughness, you said he ate your head kicks like chocolate chip cookies. What were you thinking as he was eating them?

Oh my God. I can’t take anything away from Jim Miller. I straight kicked him in the head. That was not my hardest kick but I threw it to drop him. He ran right through it and took me down. I was like ‘Holy shit! How is this guy not wobbly?’ That was the most discouraging for me. I kicked that dude in the face and he just ate it. 

All is well that ends well. You picked up the unanimous decision victory. What was going through your mind at the point your hand was raised?

I had a very good feeling I won that fight. I knew I won the second round and the third was pretty close but I thought I did a lot of damage and I feel like I controlled the round. It was an amazing feeling. Jim Miller is the biggest win of my career. I can’t really say anything beside that. Shit, I just dominated Jim Miller. I didn’t think I would be able to control the fight the way I did. I am just glad that I was, honestly. I was in some dangerous spots with him. That guillotine was super close. He almost got me with that guillotine. I was pretty close to having to tap.

You said he got you and you knew you were good but then he made some adjustments and it changed things.

At first, I was defending and I knew he wasn’t choking me out. I was thinking he would just blow his arms out. He adjusted and got his head off the cage where I had him pinned. Shit, that was bad and then I had to make my adjustments.

That is a great example about how much the fight game is a game of split seconds and centimeters.

Yeah, man. It is a game of inches. If you give up that wrong inch it’s over for you, man. Jim Miller almost got that inch off me.

I will ask the obvious. What’s next for you inside the Octagon?

Honestly, I am just a violent bastard that likes to fight. I told [Sean] Shelby whoever he has, I’m here to go big or go home. I told him not to fuck with me. I told him if he didn’t get me a fight by the end of the year, him and I are fighting! Hopefully it works out that way.