UFC Fight Preview: The Rookie or the Vet?

Roosvelt Roberts (11-1)

The tough and durable Brock Weaver pushed the pace early on, but Roosvelt was just too crisp, too quick, too powerful and too skilled for him.

As the great and wise Helio Gracie once said: “For the choke, there are no “tough guys”. With an arm lock he can be tough and resist the pain. With the choke he just passes out, goes to sleep.”

Roberts managed to get a 2nd round finish in his outing on 31st of May. He also did not take a lot of damage, which put him in the position to come back and fight again 20 days later.

He will be facing a true veteran, who has seen it all! A man that shares a record with Cowboy Cerrone for the most fights in the UFC, master of the sport and former NCAA Division I wrestler, Jim Miller.

Jim Miller (31-14)

What can we say about the vet? He has shared the octagon with the royalties of the 155 lbs division. The likes of Nate Diaz, Benson Henderson, Dustin Poirier, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone and Diego Sanchez to name a few. The list goes on and on. This is not his first rodeo, probably won’t be the last either.

Jim Miller will be, for Roosvelt Roberts, a true test. We have seen this in the past. The rookie, young up and coming talented kid, with dreams of championships, money, fame against the guy who has been there with the best and still fights just because he enjoys it and loves shutting the mouths of the aforementioned kids.

Fight breakdown

What do they both bring to the table?

Well Jim is a high profile grappler with a black belt in jiu-jitsu and his Division I wrestling pedigree. He is no slouch on the feet either, where he mainly fights as a Muay Thai fighter, who loves the Thai clinch. He has a very good left high kick, which hurts opponents even when blocked. Also he is a southpaw, which might open up the body for Roosvelt Roberts.

On the other hand, Roosvelt, is a joy to watch. Whatever he does, be it standing or on the floor, his technique is sharp as whistle. His one-two is a thing of beauty and quick as a whip.

On the ground he places traps for his opponents and just seems to be on another level, to this point. His top pressure is world class. The rookie loves chokes, which provided 100% of his finishes, with Dana White in attendance, 3 in total. Whatever you do, if you are fighting Roosvelt, watch out for your neck.

In conclusion

The match-up is a fascinating one, as it presents a lot of questions, all of which will be answered on fight night. Will Roosvelt be able to keep it standing and use his reach advantage over Miller or does he invite the fight on the floor and test his ground game against a skillful wrestler and BJJ practitioner?

Who comes out on top? The rookie or the vet?

We are about to find out!

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