Diego Sanchez vs. Jim Miller slated for UFC 197 Fight Pass prelims
Two of the UFC's longest tenured veterans will collide on March 5 when Diego Sanchez and Jim Miller meet in a lightweight battle at UFC 197. The match-up will serve as the featured bout of the event's UFC Fight Pass prelims.
Combined, Sanchez (22) and Miller (21) have fought a whopping 43 times inside the UFC Octagon, winning 27 of those fights.
The bout marks a return to the lightweight division for Sanchez (25-8), following a brief flirtation at featherweight that saw Sanchez lose a lopsided decision to Ricardo Lamas.
Sanchez, now 34 years old, has slumped over recent years, dropping four of his past six fights since 2012. His two victories over that span came via controversial split decisions against Takanori Gomi and Ross Pearson.
Nonetheless, "The Dream" remains a tough out, with a résumé that includes past wins over Clay Guida, Martin Kampmann, and Nick Diaz.
Across the cage, Miller (25-7, 1 NC) hopes to rebound after tapping to a rear-naked choke at the hands of Michael Chiesa in December. The setback marked the third loss over Miller's past four outings, and pushed the 32-year-old's name out of the UFC's media-generated rankings.
Regardless, much like Sanchez, Miller's list of past conquests is impressive, highlighted by submissions over Charles Oliveira, Duane Ludwig, and Melvin Guillard.
UFC 197 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The event is headlined by two huge fights: a champion vs. champion match between Conor McGregor and Rafael dos Anjos, as well as Holly Holm's first defense of her bantamweight belt against Miesha Tate.
An updated UFC 197 fight card can be seen below.
- Conor McGregor vs. Rafael dos Anjos
- Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate
- Erick Silva vs. Nordine Taleb
- Corey Anderson vs. Tom Lawlor
- Diego Sanchez vs. Jim Miller
- Darren Elkins vs. Chas Skelly