Health issues are a regular part of any fighter’s life. In a full-contact sport such as MMA, fighters often have to go into their bouts with minor injuries and niggles. Not to mention the long-term impact of being constantly hit in the face that manifests in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). However, in the case of UFC veteran Jim Miller, it was not injuries that plagued him.
The lightweight, who has fought a record-breaking 42 times in the UFC and holds the record for most wins at 25 in the promotion, suffered from one of the most debilitating and mysterious diseases, which almost ended his career.
Jim Miller and his battle with Lyme disease
Unbeknownst to him, most likely in the spring of 2013, Jim Miller was bitten by a tick. This bite gave him the rare and severe condition called Lyme disease, which is the subject of many conspiracy theories and controversies.
The disease remained undiagnosed for over four years and caused him significant distress. As a result of the bacterial disease caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete bacteria, he experienced numerous adverse symptoms including fatigue, depression, acute memory loss, fatigue, joint pain, and depression.
“I know that my road is like nobody else. I was ranked in the top 10 in the world and bitten by a tick that was carrying Lyme disease and it f****** my world up,” he told MMAFighting.com.
“My memory from about 2015 through maybe early 2017, there’s times when my wife will bring something up and there is nothing. There is nothing there… But there’s just a dark cloud of a little bit of time where things were just freaking really hard,” he added.
Presently, he is gearing up to fight Gabriel Benitez on the main card of UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas tonight. And with fights for the UFC 300 already being announced by Dana White, fans have demanded Miller feature on the card, something Miller himself has affirmed he wanted to do.
Miller might fight at UFC 300 at demand
Jim Miller is not only the most experienced fighter on the roster but also holds the distinction of having fought at UFC 100 and UFC 200. With UFC 300 around the corner on April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, fans have demanded that the veteran be featured on the anniversary mega card.
However, the 39-year-old is focused on Benitez, and not thinking about UFC 300. “It’s about 50-50 at this point… I don’t know if I’ll make it that far or if I’ll want to keep going,” he said. The New Jersey native is fighting today and its result will probably determine whether or not he fights on UFC 300. Despite the fans demanding him to appear at the mega-event, the final say, of course, rests with Dana White and the UFC.
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