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Tomorrow night the UFC is back live on SPIKE TV, once again headlined by middleweight Nate Marquardt. Marquardt main evented the very first Ultimate Fight Night against the tough Ivan Salaverry in what turned out to be one of the worst fights of all time. The next two times he fought on a SPIKE card he was relegated to the prelims. Now he’s back in the main event, the horrible Salaverry fight forgiven and definitely forgotten by most fans
One of the most intriguing bouts on the show’s undercard features one of a pair of fighting brothers from New Jersey. Jim Miller is quietly building up the resume of a title contender. He’ll take a big step towards a rematch with champion Frankie Edgar if he can get past the gigantic Gleison Tibau. Miller talked with us about his jiu jitsu blackbelt, how nervous he gets when his brother fights, and his first major card before joining the UFC – a card headed by street fighting legend Kimbo Slice.
On a potential rematch with UFC champion Frankie Edgar: It’s awesome. Frankie is very well deserving. He definitely busts his ass and works for it… We’ve both gotten a ton better. That was, I think, both of our sixth fights. I had been fighting for a year – we were both still young in it, you know? And pretty wet behind the ears. Even so, he got a shot in the UFC shortly after that. We’ve both grown pretty immensely. I know I have definitely become a more complete fighter and I know he has as well.
On whether fighters were jealous of Kimbo Slice during his MMA debut in New Jersey: Everybody was happy just to see the big crowd…that was the first time pretty much any of us, the group of us fighters who had been fighting on the local circuit for awhile, had been televised. They always tell you ‘Ah, this is going to be taped and might get on something, so give it your all.’ But it was never a guarantee. This fight had a real production company and stuff like that. It was pretty cool.
On watching his brother Dan fight: I just get nervous for him when he fights. I don’t have any control when he’s in there. When I’m fighting it’s easy – it’s me in there and I’m doing my thing. I’m in control. I’m the one getting punched in the face and punching somebody back. When it’s him it’s so much harder to deal with really. In this last fight I was shaking before the fight and after the fight. It was just so intense.
This and much more in our exclusive interview with Jim Miller. You can download the podcast via iTunes or listen to the streaming edition at our partner site angrymarks.com. Thanks for listening. Downloading this podcast supports this site, so please click. Feedback is encouraged and appreciated.