UFC lightweight contender Cole Miller talks about his upcoming fight on September 19th against Leonard Garcia, what it was like to train with Nate and Nick Diaz, and why he thought the televised portion of UFC 74 "sucked". That and much moreÂ…check it out!
PC: How is preparation going for your September 19th fight against Leonard Garcia?
CM: It's going well. Just training really hard with my teammates.
PC: Are you viewing this as your toughest fight to date, and if so, are you doing anything different in training?
CM: This is definitely one of my tougher fights. I'm changing things up a little and doing a lot of cardio for this fight.
PC: The more Roger Huerta wins, the better Leonard Garcia looks for the war he put up against Huerta. What type of fight do you expect to get from Garcia?
CM: I expect a very "in your face" type of fight. I expect a very technical fight on my part and a very relentless pressure style of fight from his side.
PC: Other than his fight with Huerta and his submission win against Allen Berube, have you been able to watch any more footage on Garcia?
CM: No. Those are the only two fights I've been able to watch.
PC: In your last fight with Andy Wang, you showed us a different arsenal of strikes and kicks. How do you feel about that performance?
CM: That performance went just like the gameplan. In the back, I said to myself, "I'm gonna go out there, box him, not get taken down and knock him out." The kick kind of just happened.
PC: You recently went out to Stockton and trained with the Diaz brothers. How much knowledge did you bring back from that experience and what were they like towards you?
CM: They were an awesome group of guys to work with. I really learned a lot from training with them.
PC: You had a ton of fights in 2006. Now that the show is over, how important is it for you to get back to being an active fighter?
CM: This is very important for me. I have to fight at least every other month or I feel unmotivated to train. The fights are why I train so if I have no fights scheduled, I get depressed.
PC: How interested are you in watching The Ultimate Fighter Season 6?
CM: I'm very interested in watching season six. My teammate, Ben Saunders, is on the show, as well as my good friend Blake Bowman. Should be an interesting season.
PC: What do you feel like will be the keys to victory for you at Ultimate Fight Night?
CM: Stay calm, make him play my game and finish the fight.
PC: What did you think of UFC 74?
CM: The televised card sucked, I thought. I mean, why they wouldn't televise Babalu, Frank Mir or Marcus Aurelio vs. Clay GuidaÂ…that was a dumb move I thought. But hey, what do I know? I just fight.
PC: Good luck against Leonard. I look forward to speaking with you soon. Anything you want to say in closing?
CM: Thanks to American Top Team, Tapout and the Diaz brothers for their help.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]