UFC 124: Jim Miller Submits Charles Oliveira, Demands His Shot At The Lightweight Title

Jim Miller said he wanted to break Charles Oliveira in their fight at UFC 124, and he literally almost did that with a nasty kneebar forcing the tap out, and getting his sixth win in a row overall.

The New Jersey native entered Montreal with a chip on his shoulder simply because his name just wasn’t getting mentioned among the top lightweights in the world, despite his immaculate record and great record in the UFC. He apparently took out his frustrations against Charles Oliveira.

A swift takedown opened the fight for Miller, but he had to be extra careful working in the guard of a very dangerous Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner in Oliveira. The patience paid off as Miller scrambled and when the Brazilian went for a leg lock, he went for one of his own.

Miller’s leg lock proved to be the better of the two, going first for a toe hold and then transitioning to a kneebar. The torque was incredible and it didn’t take long for Oliveira was forced to tap or go through months of rehab for an injured knee.

The submission was devastating and why Miller believes Oliveira didn’t have much time to react outside of tapping out.

“It did, but it happened too fast,” Miller said when asked if he was surprised Oliveira didn’t defend the move any differently.

Coming into the fight, Miller was listed as a slight underdog by most major sportsbooks despite his great record and resume in the Octagon. He showed everyone he should have been the favorite.

“I think a lot of people underestimated me coming into this fight. Charles is a tough kid, got a ton of potential, but I’m one of the best in the world,” said Miller.

Miller has always been known as one of the hardest workers in the UFC’s lightweight division, but somewhat soft spoken when it comes to calling anyone out or proclaiming his own greatness. Saturday night, Miller decided to play the game a bit more asking UFC president Dana White and matchmaker Joe Silva to recognize his body of work.

“Joe, Dana, I want my shot,” Miller shouted.

At 8-1 in the UFC, Miller has to be considered one of the top contenders in the division and has to see a top ten opponent in his future.