UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Miller

Donald Cerrone (23-6) vs. Jim Miller (24-4-1)

Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller look to move up into title contention in the lightweight division as the two compete at UFC Fight night in Atlantic City.

When he is on top of his game, Cerrone is one of the most talented fighters in all of the UFC. However, too many times in his career he is not 100 percent focused on the sport, and it has cost him in his matches. However, he has been on top of his game in his last three matches, winning all of them in the first two rounds. In his last fight, Cerrone defeated Edison Barboza by submission just 3:15 into the first round. He is a terrific athlete that can win a match in many different ways. He will need to be back on his A game as he goes up against a talented fighter in Miller. Like Cerrone, Miller will go into this fight on a three-match winning streak. In his most recent fight against Yancy Mederios, he won by submission in the first round. Miller is an extremely tough fighter, and is very difficult to takedown. Both of these guys are very good fighters, and have a big opportunity in front of them. However, Cerrone is the more talented fighter, and will be focused on continuing his strong recent performances.

Of his 23 career victories, Cerrone has 15 victories by way of submission. He also has five wins by decision, as well as three others by knockouts. While he does not win a lot of fights by knockouts, Cerrone will have a huge advantage in this match when it comes to landing significant strikes (3.81 to 2.54 for Miller). Cerrone is also more accurate when it comes to landing strikes, landing 47 percent of his strikes, compared to only 36 percent for Miller. This is one of those matches where both fighters share the same strength, and that is taking their opponents to the ground. Cerrone converts on 50 percent of his takedown attempts, compared to 46 percent for Miller. If Cerrone is able to control the tempo, he will be all right. However, Miller is extremely difficult to takedown, and also has the ability to end the match by submission.

Miller has 24 career victories, with 14 of them coming by way of submission. He also has seven wins by decision, as well as three by way of knockout. Miller will hold an advantage when it comes to takedown average, averaging 1.98 takedowns, compared to only 1.59 for Miller. He will need to be ready for the takedown attempts from Cerrone, as Miller is able to only defend 39 percent of his opponent’s takedowns. Cerrone, on the other hand, defends 64 percent of his opponents' attempts. Both of these guys are terrific at winning the match by way of submissions. In the end, this is a big opportunity for Miller, and he has a great chance of getting the win as long as he can handle Cerrone’s athleticism.