Preview: UFC 309 Prelims

Lightweights

Damon Jackson (23-7-1, 6-5-1 UFC) vs. Jim Miller (37-18, 26-17 UFC)

ODDS: Jackson (-170), Miller (+142)

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It’s amazing that Miller is still doing this. This marks trip No. 45 to the Octagon for the New Jersey native, who peaked as a title contender around 2011 and is now a decade removed from what looked like a career-ending slide. Miller was coming off a run of flat performances heading into UFC 200 back in 2016, with the consensus being that what was already a decade full of hard fights was finally catching up to “A-10.” Instead, a lot of Miller’s troubles wound up being a result of an undiagnosed case of Lyme disease, and he wound up once again becoming a viable fighter after that issue was addressed. He was clearly far from his near-contender peak of years prior, but it was a pleasure to watch Miller stomp a lot of the lower-level opposition dotting the UFC roster. Miller turned things around to the point that he had won five of his last six bouts heading into UFC 300 in April, and while he failed to get the win against Bobby Green, he was one-half of an excellent three-round war that proves he is still somehow far from done at 41 years of age. For an attempted rebound, he draws Jackson in the Fortis MMA rep’s move up to lightweight. It should be another fun scrap, if nothing else.

Jackson initially got the UFC call as a late replacement back in 2014, less than two years removed from his professional debut, so it wasn’t necessarily a shock that he didn’t look ready for prime time and quickly washed out of the promotion. However, Jackson spent half a decade putting together a solid run on the regional scene and proved capable when the UFC came calling once again, kicking off his return with a massive comeback and upset of Mirsad Bektic. After losing to Ilia Topuria in one of the current featherweight champ’s breakout performances, Jackson went on a four-fight winning streak and continued showing off his wares as an under-athletic but overaggressive fighter willing to push the pace and attempt to break his opponents. That success eventually ran Jackson into his clear ceiling, as he has lost three of his last four fights. Dan Ige had the knockout power to finish Jackson, while Billy Quarantillo and Jose Mariscal were each able to keep pace and essentially beat him at his own game. Jackson has a clear path to victory here, as Miller is at his best as a first-round finisher and has seen his cardio slip in recent years. Still, with Jackson moving up to lightweight, the lean is that Miller can provide enough of a physical wall to stave off his success and land the hardest shots of the fight, at least for two rounds. This one is more about the action than the result, but the pick is Miller via decision.

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