UFC
UFC on FX 4's Dan Miller feeling renewed in drop to welterweight division
Jun 21, 2012 - 1:50:14 PM UFC on FX 4's Dan Miller feeling renewed in drop to welterweight division

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Dan Miller returns to the Octagon on Friday night at UFC on FX 4 in his home state of New Jersey, his first fight since a loss to Rousimar Palhares last August at UFC 134. Miller's had an immensely tumultuous professional and personal life over the last several years, dealing with tragic loss and illness with his children while coming up short inside of the cage.

After the loss to Palhares, he decided to attempt a drop to the welterweight division, where he'll make his debut on Friday night. Heading into his fight with Ricardo Funch on the card, Miller is seeing some positive waves heading his way after a lot of negativity in recent years.

"Coming off of that fight [with Palhares] it was disappointing and everything and then the whole thing with [my son] Danny getting sick,” Miller said in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. "I almost felt burnt out. I wasn't sure what I was going to do but kind of making this change, and setting the goal of okay I'm going to go to 170 to try to make a run at this. I'm only getting older and my time is shortening with all these young kids coming in."

"I don't have that much time so I'm going to make a run for it and it's kind of renewed everything. I thoroughly enjoyed training going to boxing and Muay Thai and all that. I feel kind of renewed and everything, this is a whole new goal and this is a whole new chapter in my career."

The Miller family received support from fans, friends, fellow fighters, and more when news of his son's illness came to light. A foundation was set up in his honor, and UFC officials even pitched in to help pay for a kidney transplant, a procedure the young Miller will undergo soon. With that positive news, Miller is looking to move forward with this tough matchup.

"He's a tough kid and he's got very good skills; it's going to be a tough fight," Miller said. "I didn’t really know much about him when they said the name, but since then I've looked him up. I didn't really think much about it; they called with the fight and okay."

"I'm trying not to put any pressure on myself. I got enough pressure making the weight and I always go out looking for the finish. It's no different in this fight and I'm going out and looking to finish him in the first round. I don't want to go to the second round, and I want to get out of the ring as quick as I can and go have a beer and something to eat."

Penick's Analysis: It's impossible not to root for Miller. What he and his family have had to go through in the last several years has been tragic and mentally draining, and through it all he's still tried to compete with a very high level of competition. This move to the welterweight division may be just the move he needs to put a bigger string of success together inside the cage. A win on Friday would be nothing but positive, and could be a big way to kick off his 2012 run and to start a new era in his career.