Can Jim Miller And Darren Elkins Win In Miami?

Surprisingly, very few people are giving Jim Miller a chance to win at UFC 314.

The grizzled veteran is the biggest underdog on the stacked card set for Saturday night at the Kaseya Center. Can Miller? I say yes, but obviously, that doesn’t mean he will. Let’s look closer at the matchup.

Jim Miller vs. Chase Hooper Breakdown

Hooper is no longer just the nerdy-looking journalist turned mixed martial artist that looks like he’s at a fantasy camp. Hooper is a real fighter with vastly improved striking to go with his world-class Jiu-Jitsu skills.

He’s long and a bit awkward, but he has seemingly learned to use that to his benefit. After an undefeated run on the regional scene, Hooper earned his spot on the UFC’s roster and he has gone 7-3 in the big show.

Hooper is seemingly approaching his prime as a fighter. The 25-year-old is on a four-fight win streak with victories over Nick Fiore, Jordan Leavitt, Viacheslav Borshchev, and Clay Guida. Hooper’s win over Guida and his matchup on Saturday position him to become something of a legend killer.

Anthony Smith rode a similar run to a title shot in 2019.

However, as we’ve learned, Miller is not one to go quietly into a good night. The 41-year-old bounced back from a lopsided beatdown at the hands of King Green at UFC 300 in April with a first-round submission victory over Damon Jackson in November at UFC 309.

Can he knock off a man 15 years his junior who is on a hot streak?

Yes, and here’s why. While Hooper’s striking is certainly improved, he’s not Green, who enjoyed a massive speed advantage over Miller. When Miller was unable to get Green in the necessary grappling exchanges, he became target practice on the feet.

I do not expect to see Hooper enjoy the same kind of advantage in stand-up. Hooper has been fairly easy for opponents to hit in his career with a 37% striking defense. He will have a massive length advantage at 6-foot-1, and Miller is 5-foot-8. However, Miller has fairly long arms for his height, and the reach advantage is just three inches. Miller is also likely the stronger man, and his boxing technique is solid.

Hooper is an absolute wizard on the ground, and very few men will have an advantage over him in grappling. While he is a bit more spry and creative chasing submissions, he will be hard-pressed to submit Miller.

In Miller’s 57-fight professional MMA career, he has only been submitted three times. The only fighters to defeat Miller by submission were Nate Diaz, Michael Chiesa, and Charles Oliveira. But no one has accomplished the feat in nearly seven years.

That’s a span of 14 fights.

Hooper won’t submit Miller, and that will mean he’ll need to win this fight with top control or damage. I think Miller pulls off a shocker that shouldn’t be so surprising. I like Miller to win by split decision in an upset.

Here is a look at the entire UFC 314 card.

• Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes – UFC Featherweight Championship
• Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett – Lightweight
• Bryce Mitchell vs. Jean Silva – Featherweight
• Yair Rodriguez vs. Patricio Pitbull – Featherweight
• Nikita Krylov vs. Dominick Reyes – Light Heavyweight
• Dan Ige vs. Sean Woodson – Featherweight
• Virna Jandiroba vs. Xiaonan Yan – Strawweigh
• Chase Hooper vs. Jim Miller – Lightweight
• Darren Elkins vs. Julian Erosa – Featherweight
• Sedriques Dumas vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk – Middleweight
• Sumudaerji vs. Mitch Raposo – Flyweight
• Tresean Gore vs. Marco Tulio – Middleweight
• Nora Cornolle vs. Hailey Cowan – Women’s Bantamweight