{"id":608694,"date":"2023-02-16T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/16\/ufc-preview-jim-miller-looks-to-extend-winning-streak-ufc-records\/"},"modified":"2023-02-16T12:30:00","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T18:30:00","slug":"ufc-preview-jim-miller-looks-to-extend-winning-streak-ufc-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/16\/ufc-preview-jim-miller-looks-to-extend-winning-streak-ufc-records\/","title":{"rendered":"UFC preview: Jim Miller looks to extend winning streak, UFC records"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p id=\"WACViewPanel_ClipboardElement\">When is the UFC going to hit the road full time? Given the frequency in which the cards from the APEX are of substandard quality, I\u2019m anxious for the promotion to make a priority of fighting in front of a live audience. I know there will continue to be cards that are less than stellar, but I believe there would be a greater effort to ensure the live fans pay for quality. Well, I suppose it\u2019s more accurate to say that a greater effort would be made to ensure a live audience pays to show up, but it\u2019s the same idea. To be fair, UFC Vegas 69 was plagued by injuries and rescheduling issues. Regardless, over half of the preliminary contests feature a fighter making their UFC debut. The debutants are reasonable prospects, but they haven\u2019t proven themselves either. In other words, this card is a hard sell, even former frequent Fight Night headliners Jim Miller and Ovince Saint Preux.<\/p>\n<div id=\"whIV1M\">\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OyUSJ-nETDY?rel=0\" allowfullscreen scrolling=\"no\" allow=\"accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li id=\"14YZhG\">\n<strong>Jim Miller <\/strong>has become a beloved figure as the all-time leader in UFC bouts and UFC victories. He\u2019s sitting at 40 fights under his belt right now, but it wouldn\u2019t be shocking if he were to make it to his goal of 45 given how the UFC continues to give him favorable matchups. Miller isn\u2019t as durable as he used to be, nor is he as fast. Perhaps most concerning, his gas tank may be the most suspect part of his game. However, you\u2019d be hard-pressed to find someone who is more savvy at securing the type of fight he wants. Though most fighters know they shouldn\u2019t hit the mat with Miller, he often finds a way to make it happen early in the fight. Plus, Miller has become more acute as to when to let his power loose, as his wins over Erick Gonzalez and Nikolas Motta indicate. However, during that stretch, the opponents Miller has defeated have either had a lack of experience or were well past their prime. It could be argued <strong>Alexander Hernandez<\/strong> should be smack dab in the middle of his prime. He\u2019s got plenty of quality experience too. Unfortunately for him, he\u2019s one of the UFC\u2019s better definitions for inconsistent. Hernandez can be a physical presence, bullying his opponent with punches and pressure. In the same fight, he can wilt into someone merely looking to survive. However, that typically happens as a result of his conditioning failing him and his opponent remaining strong. Miller has shown he can remain effective into the second round, but it\u2019s hard to believe he\u2019ll be able to if the physically stronger Hernandez takes the fight to him. Hernandez is hard to trust, but he is a cut above those whom Miller has been beating as of late. <strong>Hernandez via TKO of RD2<\/strong> <\/li>\n<li id=\"DacY6v\">It\u2019s a shock <strong>Lina Lansberg<\/strong> is still on the roster. At the age of 40 with three consecutive losses, there doesn\u2019t appear to be any upside to keeping her on the roster at this point. Then again, it\u2019s hard to point to the glut of hungry bantamweights on the regional scene capable of providing the same level of competitiveness as Lansberg. Lansberg was never a great athlete, but her toughness and determination allowed her to carve out a lengthy UFC career. Her minute physical gifts appear to have declined some, but her intangibles don\u2019t appear to have been affected. She\u2019ll need every bit of those as <strong>Mayra Bueno Silva<\/strong> would have had a notable athletic advantage even if Lansberg was in her prime. Silva\u2019s issue come with her mental miscues. For instance, she has too much confidence in her guard, allowing her opponents to secure large chunks of control time. There\u2019s been signs those are issues of the past, but a considerable track record is needed before that reputation can be changed. However, even with that issue, Silva isn\u2019t short on toughness or determination herself; the Brazilian has never been finished. Plus, there\u2019s reason she has so much trust in her guard. Lansberg might be able to make it to the end \u2013 she has never been submitted \u2013 but it is <em>very <\/em>hard to see her winning. <strong>Silva via decision<\/strong> <\/li>\n<li id=\"kCXbki\">\n<strong>Khusein Askhabov<\/strong> has been trying to make his UFC debut for a while now, proving fortunate enough to forgo his previously scheduled appearance on DWCS. Long considered to be one of the top prospects at bantamweight, Askhabov is touching down at 145 instead. That could prove problematic as the Russian is used to being the larger man in the cage. He won\u2019t be against <strong>Jamall Emmers<\/strong>. Emmers has proven to be a sound wrestler himself, but doesn\u2019t always take that approach when it appears to be the best route to victory. In fact, his fight IQ in general has been questionable. I\u2019m not sure Askhabov can take advantage of that as he\u2019s been able to trample over most of his opposition due to many of them being a lower level of competition than someone with his hype. Regardless, if Emmers has his head on straight, he operates behind an effective jab to compliment his solid wrestling. However, he can also slow down the stretch, hasn\u2019t fought in 18 months, and is 33. For all we know, he could very well be past his prime. However, there\u2019s no guarantee of that and Askhabov\u2019s own layoff \u2013 almost three years \u2013 is also problematic. I wouldn\u2019t consider putting money on this fight given all the unanswered questions. Based on what is known, I\u2019ll go with the younger fighter. <strong>Askhabov via decision<\/strong> <\/li>\n<li id=\"39BDP0\">The end of <strong>Ovince Saint Preux\u2019s <\/strong>UFC tenure is drawing nigh. Now 39, the former interim title challenger struggled to secure a win over the now retired Shogun Rua last May. That\u2019s the same Shogun who was blasted by Ihor Potieria. So long as he can continue to make the 205 limit, his size will be problematic for any opponent. Everything else appears to be fading. Saint Preux only wrestles out of desperation at this point, afraid to deplete his gas tank. He was never fast outside of sudden bursts, but he\u2019s becoming glacial at this point. There\u2019s even signs his power is fading, having secured a lone KO\/TKO finish in the last five years after securing five in the previous five years. However, while many a quick to jump on the idea of <strong>Philipe Lins<\/strong> running right past Saint Preux, they tend to forget Lins is 37, likely on the downside himself. Lins caught fire several years ago when he claimed the PFL heavyweight crown in 2018 for the million dollar prize, but hasn\u2019t resembled that fighter since. Lins owns good size for light heavyweight and is one of the more skilled grapplers in the division. When his head is where it needs to be, he\u2019s efficient on the feet too. The question is whether his head will be in the right place. Even if Saint Preux\u2019s power appears to be waning, it would be stupid to assume it has disappeared completely. Neither man is trustworthy, so it would be insane to throw money towards the contest. That said, Lins appears to have more in the gas tank, so I\u2019ll lean towards him in the slightest. <strong>Lins via decision<\/strong> <\/li>\n<li id=\"QxPno3\">Anyone who watches MMA on the regular knows that size <em>does<\/em> matter. <strong>Evan Elder<\/strong> found that out definitively in his UFC debut, taking his fight with Preston Parsons on short notice at welterweight. Given Elder\u2019s ground game is his bread and butter, it was a rude awakening for the natural lightweight. To be fair, Elder showed a lot of grit, fighting off submission attempt after submission attempt. He\u2019ll get to see what he can do against someone closer to his size in <strong>Nazim Sadykhov<\/strong>. Sadykhov reminds me of his teammate, Merab Dvalishvili, minus the relentless takedowns. Not that he can\u2019t wrestle, but that hasn\u2019t proven to be his bread and butter. Instead, what I mean is Sadykhov has power in his hands and an eternal gas tank, but he\u2019s also on the reckless side with his striking. Elder\u2019s striking has been progressing at a reasonable rate, but it feels like a stretch to say he can make Sadykhov pay for wild tendencies at this juncture. Elder probably has the edge on the mat, but Sadykhov has proven difficult to take down. This should be more akin to a pick \u2018em than what the odds reflect, but I do agree Sadykhov is the right pick due to his pressure and volume. I just wouldn\u2019t put money on it. <strong>Sadykhov via decision<\/strong> <\/li>\n<li id=\"6iuJDq\">\n<strong>Themba Gorimbo<\/strong> is the latest attempt by the UFC to produce a fruitful investment from the continent of Africa. At 32, Gorimbo isn\u2019t the youngest prospect and I\u2019m not sure where his strength of attack is going to come from. He\u2019s got some talent on the feet, but lacks KO power. He\u2019s also picked up most of his wins via submission thanks to his aggressive guard, but the competition in Africa is questionable. We\u2019ll get a good idea of how good his ground game is against <strong>AJ Fletcher<\/strong>. The stout 25-year-old is a ball of muscle with powerful takedowns and decent top control. However, he also has a questionable gas tank and will have a nine-inch reach disadvantage on the feet. Fletcher has dealt with being at a reach disadvantage before \u2014 just about every fight he\u2019s been in \u2013 but it typically isn\u2019t as large a discrepancy as what Gorimbo provides. In the end, I don\u2019t trust anyone who operates off their back with the frequency Gorimbo does at this level. Throw in that Fletcher\u2019s stocky frame will make it that much more difficult for Gorimbo to find a sub off his back and I have a good amount of confidence Fletcher scores his first UFC victory. <strong>Fletcher via TKO of RD2<\/strong> <\/li>\n<li id=\"kjbZRB\">\n<strong>Juancamilo Ronderos<\/strong> is a HUGE wild card. The native of Colombia only has five professional fights under his belt and hasn\u2019t fought since 2021. Given his inexperience and lack of experience, the 27-year-old could be a completely different fighter than the one who was bowled over by David Dvorak 21 months ago. Because of that, it creates a weird situation where the debuting fighter appears to be the more proven commodity. That said, <strong>Clayton Carpenter<\/strong><strong> <\/strong>has a lot to prove himself given he only has six fights under his belt. The 26-year-old picked up his contract on DWCS thanks to a combination of wrestling and a steady diet of low kicks. Ronderos should be able to deal with the low kicks effectively with his constant pressure, but the wrestling is going to be a different story. Ronderos has proven to be slippery to maintain control over, but he also hasn\u2019t faced someone the with wrestling and grappling of Carpenter. With so little known about Ronderos, I hate making a prediction. Regardless, I\u2019ll say Carpenter\u2019s wrestling makes the difference. <strong>Carpenter via decision<\/strong>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloodyelbow.com\/2023\/2\/16\/23602184\/ufc-vegas-69-prelims-preview-jim-miller-looks-to-extend-winning-streak-mma-predictions-editorial\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Dayne Fox<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When is the UFC going to hit the road full time? Given the frequency in which the cards from the APEX are of substandard quality, I\u2019m anxious for the promotion to make a priority of fighting in front of a live audience. I know there will continue to be cards that are less than stellar, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":608695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[534,988,1002],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-608694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-financial","category-miller","category-preview"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608694\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}