Miller: “I See Myself Winning in the Second Round”

Miller is ready to start a winning streak tonight.

The UFC’s lightweight division is one of, if not the deepest divisions in the promotion.

As such, it can be difficult for a fighter to string together enough wins to separate themselves from the pack.

Cole Miller knows that in this division, three quality wins can put you next in line for a title shot.

“The lightweights in this division are so talented and so stacked that most of these guys can beat any of the other guys on any given night,” Miller told MMAMadness.com. “Three wins can just like get you right in there in that top contender slot, or a fight for the number one contender position.”

Miller will look on track after a loss at UFC 103 when he takes on Dan Lauzon at UFC 108.

“I see myself winning it in the second round,” Miller said. “I don’t know if it’s knockout or submission, but I see the first round being very active, and the second one picking up right where it left off, and then me getting the finish somewhere in there.”

“We’ll just say the three-minute mark. That sounds good.”

Stylistically, Miller and Lauzon are both fighters that like to push the pace. No matter where the fight goes though, Miller expects to have the advantage.

“For me, in all my fights, I feel that I’m the more technical, advanced fighter, standing and on the ground, than my opponent,” Miller said.

Lauzon will come into this fight after a near year-long layoff. While that much time could be detrimental, Miller cautions that it can also work to his opponent’s advantage.

“I’m not going to say that ring rust is a myth, but it just affects different people in different ways,” Miller said.

Miller has experience facing opponents coming off of long breaks. At UFC 103, he faced an Efrain Escudero who had not fought in nine months. The match saw Escudero win by KO in the first round, snapping Miller’s two-fight win streak.

“It’s very frustrating to work that hard and have a solid training camp and be in such great shape and on top of my game, and I really wasn’t even able to show it,” Miller said in regards to that fight. “It was disheartening to say the least.”

While a loss can rattle the psyche of a fighter, Miller is back to business per usual.

“I think that’s the big thing is being able to take the loss and maintain your focus and keep moving forward and staying on the path and just working on developing as a mixed martial artist and continuing to win,” Miller said.

At UFC 108, Miller will look to do just that; get back on the path to winning.