On the road leading up to UFC Fight Night 22 in Austin Texas, the talking heads of mixed martial arts figured Cole Miller (17-4) would be the natural progression for British fighter Ross Pearson. They figured that Miller would bring his unique brand of scrap and fire to the octagon but that Pearson’s heavy hands and cool demeanor would prevail. To be honest most figured it would come in rather easy fashion for the former TUF winner but that is the thing about critics who settle into pre-fight talk…the fight still has to happen. When the cage doors closed on Ross Pearson vs. Cole Miller the eyes of the MMA world focused on these two hungry lightweight fighters and as soon as the fight got under way it became clear that Miller had something to prove. Over his three bouts in the UFC Pearson had forged the reputation as one of the top strikers in the lightweight division and throughout the first round Miller found a home for his counter right hand. The first round went to the books as a close round and when the second began the fight picked up exactly where it had left off with Pearson landing thumping leg kicks and Miller returning the favor with straight right hands. Midway through the round as the fighters met in the center of the octagon they made their typical exchange but this time something was different. Miller fired a 1-2 combination just as Pearson attempted to throw yet another leg kick and rather than composing himself, Pearson began to drift off looking for escape. Smelling the blood in the water Miller pounced like a jungle cat and after throwing several shots to clear away the brush he fired a left hand that clipped Pearson’s chin and dropped the British fighter to the canvas. From there Miller immediately dropped down and sunk in a rear naked choke to win the fight. The critic’s jaws hung to the floor while the one of American Top Team’s finest took his redemption inside of the cage. On a night that was supposed to see Pearson make his passage into the next level of competition in the 155 lb weight class, Cole Miller played spoiler in grand fashion as it is now “Magrinho” who has the spotlight. Just two days out from his win over Pearson at Fight Night 22, Miller check in with BJPenn.com from Chicago where he was in town to see his younger brother graduate the Naval Boot Camp. In this BJPenn.com Exclusive Miller takes us back through the fight with Pearson and once again reiterates that “safe fighting” will eventually kill the sport of mixed martial arts. With an upset victory under his belt and the doors of opportunity wide open Miller was asked how he was feeling to which he answered…

“I’m feeling pretty good…but I’m critical of myself so I know I made a few mistakes. I’m going to try to go to the gym tomorrow and see if I can work on them. I’m here in Chicago right now. My little brother graduated Navy Boot Camp and my best friend lives out here so I’m going to swing by Gracia Barra Chicago with Eddie Redsovic. If anybody is ever in the Chicago area and looking to train drop by there. I’m going to try to work on some of the half guard stuff because there were some times I should have gotten the sweeps but he got away from me.”

In his previous interview with BJPenn.com Miller spoke about how his lack of patience had created problems for him throughout his career. He stressed that he had worked very hard at remaining calm under fire for this bout and when Pearson began firing off crisp, powerful strikes, Miller kept his composure in tact. When asked to walk us through the first round he stated…

“Early on I felt like I had some success with the counter right hands and I stepped back and was able to reset. I didn’t rush too far forward. I took some shots early on but I wasn’t running in full speed and catching those shots. People think that my chin is suspect but the only times I’ve ever been dropped was when I was pretty much running full speed into my opponent’s power punches. This time was different because I wasn’t going forward as much and had a good base. Defensively…I really worked hard for this fight and I was able to stay a bit more patient and calm, which has been a problem for me in the past. But he did give me some problems a bit later in the first round but I was able to land that counter right and a few good hooks in the process.”

In the second round Miller’s counter landed harder and harder and while it wasn’t entirely visible, Miller was asked exactly what he saw that made him realize Pearson was hurt and he answered…

“I threw the 1-2 and my brother in between rounds told me that every time I came forward with the jab that he was looking the throw a counter leg kick. Even though it might not have seemed that way on TV but I was either checking or partially checking every one of those kicks. I heard that he broke his foot or something like that and I know that he was limping around after the fight. Micah was looking for me to work to get the takedown and all I was thinking was counter right hand. I wasn’t countering his leg kicks and then finally I felt that his base was a little bit open so I hit him with the 1-2 and when the right hand landed I saw him veer off to his right like he had lost his balance and started looking a bit shaky to his right so I knew it was time to put on some pressure.”

Immediately after Pearson tapped to end the fight Miller exploded to his feet with heavy emotion all over his face. As the post fight chaos swirled around he quickly was able to compose himself back to his normal demeanor. When asked what it was like to get that in and if he found any validation in his victory he replied…

“Yeah there was validation because everybody was saying this guy was going to knock me out. They said that he was one of the best strikers in the lightweight division and I think that I do better with the better strikers. I think the more technical you…since I’m a technical fighter it allows me to show how good I am. It’s the over hand throwin’ swingin’ from the hip guys that end up catching me because I’m so used to training with awesome and precise strikers so going in there with Ross I felt more comfortable. Just like a lot of haters hating, doing what they do and every body saying I couldn’t stand with this guy. When I shot and pulled half guard and he was standing over me he motioned for me to get up and I don’t know if the cameras caught it but I said “gladly” and got up and started throwing punches.”

A win over Pearson will now allow Miller the opportunity to shed his previous gate keeper status. In the aftermath of Fight Night 22 there has been a lot of talk about what is next and rather than be speculative…Miller laid it out on the table for everyone to see.

“I want to fight Gomi. It comes from a couple of different things and again…I was a fan first so the kind of guys that I want to fight are guys that I am fans of. When I was in high school or my early college years watching Gomi he was one of the top lightweights in the world. I want to fight Gomi just for the sake of fighting Gomi you know? Also I want to test myself and that would certainly be a big step up and that’s what I am all about. I don’t think that I’m just going to go in there and beat his ass I want to find out more about myself as a fighter and as a person. I don’t mind getting my ass beat up a little bit.”

The last time Miller spoke to BJPenn.com he spoke his mind on the current trend of safe fighting in MMA. It was the rant that launched a million ships so to speak as it became top billing and headline fodder all over the MMA community. When asked if he felt he was the first fight to speak up of if he felt there was a movement beginning he stated…

“I think that there a lot of people that agree with me and again…this is coming from a fans perspective. I love this sport. I was a fan first and when my career is over I will continue to be a fan. I watch all MMA. I think that these guys…not just the wrestlers but the point fighting strikers, guys who have the ability to knock people out but they are just content to win the exchange and take you down. The lay and pray jiu-jitsu guys who don’t want to pass, don’t want to mount, don’t want to submit…these guys also. I’m coming from a fans perspective and I don’t want this sport to turn into the decline that boxing has become. I want this sport to be prevalent and prominent for a long time so I’m just saying in general. It doesn’t matter if I can beat this guys ass or that guys ass or this guy would kill me…it has nothing to do with my statement. I want this sport to be around for a long time and I want it to thrive and the best way is for people to fight for the finish. I still think it’s important and had I lost that fight it would still be important. Coming from the fighter’s perspective if I lost a fight I would rather look back and say that I took the risk…I took the chance. I fought with passion rather than looking back and saying maybe I shouldn’t have been so conservative.”

With the interview drawing to a close Miller thanked our readers and his fans for the support.

“Thanks for the support BJPenn.com. I really appreciate it.”