UFC Lightweights Jim Miller and Joe Lauzon put on an epic Fight of the Night bout at UFC 155. Miller spoke to Bloody Elbow alum Duane Finley about the fight and his opponent:
“It played out pretty good for me in the first round. I came out and wanted to set the pace. I have an aggressive as well, and it seemed like he was getting a lot of attention before the fight for his aggression. But I think I pretty clearly out-aggressioned the most aggressive guy on our roster.
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“I could feel the finish there, and I was trying to keep the pressure on him. Thinking back on it, I probably should have changed my target a bit and went to the body because he was covering up pretty good up top. I should have went to the body in order to get him to drop his hands and maybe that would have opened him up for a knock out shot or something like that.
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“Standing elbows are something I’ve been working on for a couple of years now.It’s just one of those things where you have to get the reps in. I’ve done thousands of standing elbows now, and when I’m sparring with guys and we aren’t throwing elbows, I have to prevent myself from elbowing them. Which is what I want. I want it to come automatically and it has finally reached that point.
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“The heel hook and ankle lock got a little uncomfortable, but I wasn’t really in pain from it. As soon as he threw it we hit the mat and I started reaching for his hand. I got my heel driven through so it turned into a straight ankle lock. I made the note to myself that he was just going to have to break it.”
Miller also tells Finley that he’s hoping to welcome one of the UFC’s high profile newcomers like Gilbert Melendez or Eddie Alvarez to the organization.
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