Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE: Will Jim Miller ever get a shot at the UFC Lightweight Title?
Jan 24, 2012 - 8:30:31 PM ROUNDTABLE: Will Jim Miller ever get a shot at the UFC Lightweight Title?

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Will Jim Miller ever get a shot at the UFC Lightweight Title? What will it take for him to get there?

RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST


Well, "Ever" is a very long time, no? "Ever" is apparently longer than "after winning consecutive seven UFC fights." So I tend to believe that Miller has a long road to climb before getting that ever-elusive title shot. A win over Guillard is a nice feather in his cap; it's also the biggest win in his UFC career. To show how reluctant the UFC was to give him a high profile fight upon joining the company in 2008, the biggest name during his streak was Ultimate Fighter winner Mac Danzig, which was the first of those seven wins. His streak started with Danzig, and ended with a win over Kamal Shalorus. I believe going from Danzig to Shalorus is the perfect operational definition for "treading water."

Now, all that being said, Miller's finished his last three victories, he just main evented for the first time, and he was just given back to back fights against top level competition; so it's possible that the UFC is finally coming around on Miller. But considering how long he was given subpar opposition, and considering how deep 155 remains (but losses by Guillard to Lauzon and by Cerrone to Diaz helped), I think he's two or three wins away.


FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR



I think eventually he will. If the UFC were to give Miller a tough opponent like a Gray Maynard for his next fight, I'd say he's about to get a title shot. I think Jim Miller is the real deal and he deserves a title shot quick. I want to see what Miller can do, I think he'd beat Maynard and have a really good shot at beating Frankie Edgar for the belt. I say they give him Maynard next, then Edgar if he wins.


ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

For Jim Miller to get a title shot, he needs to win at least two more times, either of those fights against a top contender like Gray Maynard. Miller has the tools and the talent, whether those things will get him to a title match, time will tell if it's "Miller time."


BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Yes, he most definitely will. He's got an iron jaw and he can give any fighter at 155 a lot of trouble on the ground. As I have stated before, Miller has only lost three fights, and they are to three of the best lightweights on the planet in Gray Maynard, Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar. If you're going to lose, you might as well lose to the three guys who have been in the immediate title picture for the last year or so. Jim has all the tools at his disposal to win a title eliminator no matter who they put him up against next. I think it takes one more fight right now to earn a title shot, and that fight should probably come in the form of Nate Diaz. That would be an extremely interesting fight from both angles and presents us with polar opposite fighters. Jim Miller is already in the extended title picture, he just needs that one more win to get a shot at the Champ, and possibly take home the belt.


MATT PELKEY, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Just gotta keep on winning. I don't know why he seems to get tagged with the "lacking the 'it' factor." This guy fights his balls off every time out. He's like Clay Guida... with offense. He's not terribly flashy, so he's going to get passed up for title shots in favor of an Anthony Pettis, Nate Diaz, or Donald Cerrone, all other things being equal; but as long as he keeps winning (and he only loses to the tippity top guys) the UFC will eventually be in need of a credible challenger for the title. Between Diaz and the Pettis-Lauzon winner, someone will be the odd man out in the title picture. Jim Miller likely faces that guy next. Win that and he'll have the best argument for the next shot after that, likely towards the end of the year.