UFC on Fox 3 is scheduled for May 5th, 2012. Here's the latest from the May 1st, "UFC Tonight" show on how Analyst, Kenny Florian thinks the Diaz vs Miller fight will go down.
Nate Diaz
"Nate Diaz is very good at keeping his opponents on the outside. He has a long reach and knows how to use it. He is tied for having the longest reach in the lightweight division. He always throws a high volume of punches. Once he finds his range, he throws a lot of punches, and he wears his opponent down until he gets what he wants. Miller is going to have to get inside of that long reach and push Diaz up against the fence. Miller does great work on the mat. He has the submission skills to beat Nate Diaz."
On FightMetric, Nate Diaz (11-5) is listed at 5'10 with a reach of 76" and a southpaw stance. That seems surprising to me. I'm aware that the UFC stats regarding height are sometimes wrong. Nick Diaz is listed at 6'0", with a 74" reach. Since I've never seen them both standing next to each other in person, I'll just consider that I learned something new. I thought these guys were the same height.
In Nate's last visit to the octagon, he faced Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at UFC 141. Fightmetric stats show that Nate delivered 238 of 362 significant strikes. Cowboy Cerrone delivered 96 of 182 in three rounds. The bout ended in a unanimous decision for Nate Diaz.
Jim Miller (10-2), at 5'8" has a 71" reach. He is also a southpaw. It's unusual to see two southpaws match up with each other. Jim's last fight was in January--no ring rust for either fighter--against Melvin Guillard. Melvin is an explosive fighter, but he didn't get much of a chance to display his striking skills as he was submitted by Miller in the first round by RNC.
UFC multi-contender at 155, Kenny Florian said he thinks the winner should get a title shot. "I think so, these guys are two of the best lightweights in the world. Both of these guys have fought at a very high level, against a series of opponents and both have a great resume."
Jim Miller has been making the rounds on the TV MMA media circuit. I saw him on "MMA Uncensored" on Spike TV and also on "Inside MMA" on HDNet. On "UFC Tonight" Miller answered a question about handling the pre-fight pressure, "I'm not really feeling any pressure, just the excitement and energy of being in the main event on Fox. I'm prepared for a physical fight. I'm going to make a point to fight my fight and make him feel uncomfortable."
Will wrestling be the big difference in this fight? Miller responded, "It's one of the biggest advantages that I have. I've been working on my striking game over the last few years. If I can use my wrestling to dictate where the fight goes, I will, but I hope I don't have to."
Jim Miller Is Ready To Take Down Nate Diaz On His Home Turf - video
Going five rounds with Nate Diaz won't be an easy night for Miller. I'm looking forward to seeing whether he can dissect and disrupt Nate's game to win at UFC on Fox 3, May 5th, 8 pm ET.
Source: show notes from "UFC Tonight" on Fuel TV
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Cheryl Ragsdale started out boxing and has added kicks and BJJ so she can practice MMA. She trains with Keith Florian and UFC Fighter Kenny Florian at Florian Martial Arts - follow @thatgirlisfunny
