Jim Miller made his record 30th Octagon appearance on Saturday night, and he celebrated his milestone with a vintage victory.
Miller wasted little time defeating Alex White in a lightweight matchup at UFC 228 in Dallas, using his bread-and-butter submission game to finish the job.
The Sparta, N.J. native won via rear-naked choke at 1:29 of the opening round, breaking a four-fight losing streak and earning his 14th career submission win.
A big pair of left hands dropped White to the canvas. Miller landed a flurry of punches and some elbows before getting into position for the winning submission.
After the bout, Miller, who has battled Lyme disease for several years, fought back tears as he celebrate his first win since 2016.
“I’m trying to hold back tears right now,” Miller (29-12, 1 NC) said. “In 2013, I was bit by a tick by 2015 it started to kick my ass. In 2016, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease and have been struggling with that disease. I was training and competing like I’m underwater and I’ve finally cleared my head.”
White dropped to 12-5 and has lost three of his past four bouts.
