Jim Miller reacts to getting his 20th win in the UFC, talks retirement plans

In the long history of the UFC, only a few fighters have managed to earn 20 wins inside the Octagon. They are: Georges St-Pierre, Michael Bisping, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Demian Maia, and as of last Saturday, lightweight veteran Jim Miller.

Miller earned his 20th career win when he submitted fellow veteran Clay Guida in the co-main event of UFC Newark.

Speaking on the latest episode of BJPenn.com Radio, Jim Miller discussed this accomplishment, which is certainly not the only impressive achievement on his resume.

“They’re cool to have, you know?,” Miller said of his many accomplishments in the Octagon. “I think the coolest one right now is being in the 20 wins group. I mean, it’s like I’m tied with GSP, you know? That’s pretty cool. I’m in a group of, I think it’s five other guys, that have 20 wins — 20 or over. It’s a really elite group, you know? It’s cool to be associated with those guys. I’ve got a lot of respect for them. It takes something to get there.

“Burt Watson always used to say, ‘It’s harder to stay here than it is to get here.’ That couldn’t be more the truth,” Miller added. “It’s definitely the difficult part is hanging around and being able to rack up some of those numbers.”

Miller has competed a record-breaking 33 times inside the Octagon, and is also tied with his former foe Joe Lauzon for the most finishes in UFC lightweight history. While a UFC title has eluded him so far, calling him anything other than extremely accomplished would be a gross understatement.

At 35 years old, and with dozens of fights under his belt, Jim Miller knows the end of his career is drawing nearer, and from the sounds of it, he’s excited to make that final walk.

He’s just not ready to make it yet.

“I’m going to start having those conversations [about retirement],” he said. “The thing of it is, I want to know leading up to it that it’s my last one. It’s going to take some time. It’s not going to be an abrupt thing for me. The idea of that; of making that last walk to the Octagon is freaking exciting. Just knowing that there is nothing to hold back for, there’s no reason to leave anything left in the tank, and  to just go out and fight with every ounce that I’ve got left. I’m excited for that. It’s not going to be the next one, but I’m excited for that on the horizon.”

Who do you want to see Jim Miller fight next?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/8/2019.