While American Top Team members have been reaping the fruits of their labor all across UFC, Cole Miller has remained inactive ... and he's not exactly thrilled about it.
Veteran Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight Cole Miller has been absent from the Octagon for more than on year.
It hasn’t been the easiest period in his life.
While Christmas brought one of the best gifts any young man could ask for in fatherhood, Miller dealt with the difficult decision of opting for rehab, over surgery, after he tore a ligament in his thumb in May. The injury halted his hopes for a huge 2014 after the American Top Team (ATT) fighter defeated heavy-handed Sam Sicilia in a second round, "Submission of the Night" performance in January.
The 30-year-old Miller, who was scheduled to face brash Irishman Conor McGregor in July, is now slated to face Max Holloway Feb. 14, 2015, at UFC Fight Night: "Thompson vs. Thatch."
Miller spoke with MMAmania.com about his layoff, ATT successes, Holloway, McGregor and more.
Take us through the last few months at American Top Team. What’s the secret in South Florida?
CM: To say we’ve had a pretty strong 2014 would be an understatement. What you’re seeing from our fighters is a culmination of something that has been in the works for a few years now. Obviously, the team has been around for more than a decade. It’s something that got started three years ago. 2015 is off to a good start. The past couple of months you’re starting to see a new vibe in our gym. There’s a lot of positivity going on and not in like a hippy ‘everyone’s happy to see each other kind of way,’ but there’s victories all over the place and you see these other guys, who are working hard, and it’s very motivating. I feel like we have a sense of strong team leadership now and the younger guys coming up are more mature because of that.
A couple of your teammates, Gleison Tibau and Charles Rosa, had great performances at UFC Fight Night: "Boston." How impressed were you?
CM: I wasn’t surprised, but I was impressed. Charles came out looking really good. I thought that he had a pretty solid performance against Dennis Siver, taking that fight on 12 days’ notice or whatever and now you get to see him with a full training camp. He’s going to be one of those featherweights for people to look out for that’s on the rise. And Tibau, I think he showed more of what he’s been consistently showing. His hard work for the past several years has paid off. I think everybody has seen his striking make a transformation but I think that he showed that all of last year.
With all the contenders that ATT has produced throughout the UFC, what is your stance on fighting teammates?
CM: I have what I think most believe to be a unique perspective on fighting teammates, I’m all for it. I don’t think that you should fight a guy just to fight a guy. Let’s say I’m a guy with two UFC fights and my buddy has got one; I don’t see a point in the UFC making that matchup happen.
If you really care for your teammate, and you’re both bleeding and sweating together, then I think in like a scenario where one of my guys may be the champ and the other is the number one contender; I think that you have to fight each other. In that scenario, maybe that person, who’s the number one contender, it’s their time. Maybe had you not fought them, they’re kind of in that limbo where they fought somebody else because you refused to fight them and then they lost that next fight, and never regained that top contender status. As the world champ, you understand how much that meant for you to achieve.
With welterweight teammates Hector Lombard and Tyron Woodley both contending, can you talk about that situation?
CM: I’ve got a teammate relationship with both guys. As far as that issue, it really wasn’t something that was really being talked about. I honestly know more about that situation from what I read. Again, I don’t see a point in that—I think in that moment Hector wasn’t in the Top 5. I think he was ranked like seven or something like that and Tyron was at No. 2. What happens if Hector beats Tyron in this scenario? He takes Tyron’s status, or maybe doesn’t do that. Maybe he’s ranked No. 4 and then has to fight one or two more times to get to the title. I don’t think that’s a scenario where teammates should fight. I don’t know much about their relationship and if it’s close or not.
Are you free to discuss anything regarding the rumors surrounding ATT and The Ultimate Fighter?
CM: Nope.
Take us through your camp and how the hand feels.
CM: In January, I won that fight [against Sam Sicilia] and won Submission of the Night. I made the biggest purse I’ve ever had and I broke my left hand in that fight. Since it was January, I was feeling pretty optimistic about my chances to recover and get back in there so I can put my stamp on 2014. Then, I already signed to get ready and fight [Conor] McGregor in that July bout and it was the end of May and I fucked up my right thumb, or the ligament and the tendon. I don’t think a lot of people understood the severity of that injury. The major ligament that runs from your hand to your thumb; I tore that like 80 percent. Then, I tore a tendon that ran on my palm side. I could’ve elected for surgery that would’ve kept me out a minimum of one year. Let’s say I had the surgery in June, I wouldn’t have even been training until June 2015. I’m a fighter, I can’t go a year and a half without no income. I elected not to have the surgery and started rehabilitation.
With it being financially tough on you during this layoff, could you give us your thoughts on the UFC’s deal with Reebok?
CM: I don’t know enough about it. I haven’t gotten a check from Reebok, and from what I understand, the uniform policy takes effect in July. I’m excited that Reebok has created this uniform deal with the UFC and I’m excited to get some sweet gear and get some paychecks. I think that’s kind of bullshit [the tier-based ranking system]. It’s not even a real ranking system. It’s more like ‘let’s stack them [fighters] in an order in which we can market them for a title.’ It’s not based on skill-sets. I don’t feel that it’s based on performances. You’ll see a guy who gets a No. 5 ranking and, due to inactivity, he’ll drop three spots. You see what I’m saying? It’s all about this guy, who’s a fresh face and has the most recent win. The best fighter in the world, is the best fighter in the world. If he doesn’t fight, does that make him any less skilled? No. You don’t get worse at fighting. You might get less conditioned, or older and drop off. I do think that you should get paid more money if you’re ranked higher. I think that’s a great idea.
Let’s talk about your opponent at UFC Fight Night in Colorado next month, Max Holloway. What areas do you foresee yourself having an advantage in?
CM: I think in experience, I’ve got that. Power, grappling; I think that’s no secret. I think he has an advantage in the kickboxing and his versatility, but if you want to talk about who’s a better boxer; any educated critic will look at past performances and tell that I’m a better boxer.
Will the judges be needed?
CM: I don’t know if it’s going to go to the judges or not. I try not to predict fights but just judging off of our performances, you know him finishing his last four, and in my 10 UFC victories I have eight finishes. Somebody is probably going down and hopefully I get my hand raised.
Will this be the victory that puts you over the top?
CM: I’d like to think so but fight night is the only night we’ll know. Since he’s got the durability, maybe I win a decision and it’s not so impressive. I like the match up. I was excited about it when the UFC brought it to me and I think that if you’re a fan of mixed martial arts, this is the bout that you want to tune in for. If you like seeing good Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing and kickboxing; this is the one you’ll be waiting by the TV to watch.
Your teammate, Dustin Poirier, fought Max in 2012, have you discussed anything with him or watched any tape?
CM: Yeah, I’ve watched a lot of tape on Max. I know his strengths and his areas of weakness. I know mine and have come up with a good plan of attack to put my strengths on his weaknesses. I didn’t talk too much with Dustin on that. He fought him so long ago and it was Max’s first fight in the UFC. Max was a boy then ... a young person. Now, he’s a man and I think he showed a lot of maturity in his past several bouts. I think since fighting Conor, he’s really started to put some things together.
If you emerge from this bout with Max without any serious injury, do you foresee yourself fighting up to three times this year, which seems to be your normal rate?
CM: I don’t like fighting once or twice a year. I’ve got a family to feed -- you can hear Link over here crying. You think I like going over a year without making any money? Living off of credit cards and shit? Fuck all this noise. I’m trying to fight three times a year, 10 if I can stay healthy.
Fatherhood has become your second profession during this layoff, huh?
CM: First off, the layoff sucked but having him in the middle of training camp — he doesn’t live down here with me. I’ve got a house and my girlfriend ... they live in Georgia. I come down here for my work. Before Christmas, I had to fly up there. I don’t live in Atlanta, I don’t live in Athens where there’s like bad ass gyms. I live like two hours from the American Top Team in Atlanta or The HardCore Gym in Athens. I’m lucky that I have this place Rush MMA in Macon, but I don’t have a bunch of top sparring partners, especially over Christmas. I was pretty much stuck.
Do you feel like you still have unfinished business with Conor and were you impressed with his performance at Fight Night Boston?
CM: I thought his performance was impressive. I really predicted him to just put an ass-whooping on this guy and take zero damage. I mean it’s striker versus a better striker. Not only that but Conor — he likes to talk about how fast and advanced his striking is — has a very strong foundation of fundamentals. When I look at Siver, he does some advanced things, but I really can see a lot of flaws in his entire game and that’s the kind of guy that lacks fundamentals. In the past you saw Ross Pearson pick him [Siver] apart and, when I was preparing for Ross, I did some research on that. Ross is a guy that has good fundamentals. You look at Cowboy [Cerrone] — yes they’re advanced strikers — but these are guys who have strong basics that lead to their advancement. His performance was impressive, but it was exactly what I thought of it. As for unfinished business, I still want that fight, but I’ve got Max standing in front of me right now, on a four-fight winning streak with four finishes. It’s in the back of my mind, but right now all I’m focusing on is Max.
Do you feel that some of the criticism on Conor was warranted, seeing that he was facing a lower-ranked striker?
CM: I think the UFC is protecting their investment. I think that if they’re going to put him in matches that make sense. That doesn’t mean protecting him from fighter who are ranked like Dustin and Dennis. I don’t think they really want him to fight a guy like Chad Mendes or Frankie Edgar.
You’re fighting on the same card as your featherweight teammate Nik Lentz, could you tell us how his camp is going in preparation for his rematch with Thiago Tavares?
CM: He looks solid. He’s a workhorse. He’s always in the gym after a win or loss. That’s why he’s ranked in the Top 10. I think that his style poses a threat for a lot of people and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a dominant victory in this bout
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