UFC veteran Jim Miller left the Newark crowd in tears on Saturday after using his post-fight interview to announce that his 14-year-old son, Wyatt, is cancer-free.
The emotional reveal came moments after the 42-year-old picked up a dominant submission victory over Jared Gordon at UFC 328, marking a triumphant return to the Octagon after more than a year away.
Miller had stepped away from the sport last summer to stand by his son’s side following a diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer of the soft tissue.
‘My son went through some really difficult times in the last couple of months,’ a visibly moved Miller told the audience at the Prudential Center.
The New Jersey native, who is widely considered a ‘cult hero’ within the MMA community, declared that Wyatt had ‘kicked the s*** out of cancer’.
‘We are cancer free. And one of the things I told him when he was dealing with it when he first got diagnosed is Millers have been called a lot of names over the years, but fragile has never been one of them.’
UFC veteran Jim Miller left the Newark crowd in tears on Saturday night after using his post-fight interview to announce that his 14-year-old son, Wyatt, is officially cancer-free
‘My son went through some really difficult times in the last couple of months,’ a visibly moved Miller told the audience at the Prudential Center (Miller pictured alongside son Wyatt)
The victory itself was vintage Miller, as he locked in a lightning-fast guillotine choke in the first round to secure his record-extending 28th win in the promotion.
Despite being the oldest active fighter on the roster, the ‘Sparta’ product showed no signs of slowing down, much to the delight of his partisan home-state fans.
Miller later admitted that nothing he has ever achieved inside the cage compares to the pride he feels for his son’s perseverance and strength over the past year.
With 47 career UFC walks now under his belt, the legend is closing in on his ultimate goal of 50 fights before retirement, proving his fighting spirit remains as strong as ever.
In the night’s main event, Sean Strickland reminded the world why he remains a force in the middleweight division with an impressive display against Khamzat Chimaev.
Strickland utilized his jab to pick Chimaev apart over five rounds, stuffing the majority of the ‘Borz’s’ takedown attempts and forcing him into a grueling stand-up battle.
Despite a frantic start from Chimaev, his gas tank appeared to fail him in the championship rounds, allowing Strickland to march forward and secure a clear unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards.
