James Miller sends a strong message to his opponent Sebastian Fossan ahead of their scheduled bout at Rise and Conquer 11 on October 1st.
Miller made his amateur MMA debut in September of last year, unfortunately dropping a unanimous decision loss to Kyle Wilson. Despite falling short, Miller is grateful for the experience and minutes banked inside the Octagon.
Ahead of fight night in Houghton le Spring, we had the opportunity of catching up with James Miller, who craves his first win inside the Octagon. Read the full interview below.
Interview With James Miller
October 1st, Rise and Conquer 11, you make your first outing off 2022 after falling short on your debut at the back end of last year. Is there any particular reason we’ve not seen you in the Octagon this year?
I’m 22, and I’m in no rush to cram as many fights in as possible and burn myself out. I absolutely love training and improving my skill set each and every day. The way I see it, I do this for the love of it, and I fight when I feel the time is right. A happy fighter is a dangerous fighter.
Touching on your debut, talk me through the whole experience with Kyle Wilson, and what do you feel went wrong on the night?
I fought like I was guaranteed the finish. I came out guns blazing. I think I landed a takedown and chucked up a flying triangle, all within the first 25 seconds. In hindsight, my pacing was all wrong, but it’s only because I trust in my own abilities to finish a fight. Massive props to Kyle, though, he’s a tough opponent, and he got a hard-fought win.
James Miller on Debut Positives
What positives have you taken away from the fight with Kyle last year?
I loved that fight. I could’ve only loved it more if I had won. I got an opportunity to prove that I’m not just skilled, I’m game, and you can’t teach that.
Fight night, Sebastian Fossan is the man that stands across from you. If he was to go by your last fight, expecting the same James Miller to show up, what would you have to say to that?
I’d say If he was fighting the same James Miller, he’d be in trouble. But since I’ve had over a year to improve and learn, I’d say he’s in even bigger trouble.
Opposition
What do you know about your opponent, if anything? How have you prepped for Sabastian?
There’s quite a bit of footage of Sabastian that I’ve spent a lot of time analysing. I’m aware of certain tendencies he has etc., but I’m expecting a new and improved Fossen on fight night, so that could all go out the window. My preparation hasn’t been based on defending his game. It has been about implementing my own, regardless of what kind of opponent is standing in front of me on the 1st.
What do you feel the keys are to defeating Sebastian Fossan on the night?
A magician never reveals his secrets.
Last Word
I’ll give you the last word. Any last words for your opponent or any sponsors/teammates/coaches you’d like to thank?
Shout out to the main man Patrick Tucker and the whole Blaydon grapplers team who’ve pushed me this whole camp. The level of competitors in our gym is no joke. People are going to start to realise that very soon.
A message to Sebastian, protect ya neck.
Featured image credits to Northern Submission Series
