Contenders Miller, Guillard desperate to stay in UFC title mix

One loss isn’t going to derail Jim Miller from his pursuit of the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight belt.

Two straight setbacks in the stacked division, however, could be disastrous at this point in his career.

Miller will try to avoid that fate when he fights Melvin Guillard, who finds himself in a similar predicament, tonight in the main event of UFC on FX 1 at Nashville, Tenn.

Miller, 28, had won seven straight fights and felt he was on the verge of a title shot if he had beaten Ben Henderson in August. Instead, Miller lost a one-sided unanimous decision.

"It’s frustrating, but I’m still here. The wins I had before don’t go away," Miller said. "You get back on the horse and keep going. Hopefully a win puts me close to where I was. It definitely won’t put me right back where I was, but hopefully with a win I can get another top fight."

Miller will have to defeat an equally desperate Guillard, who also thought he was on the cusp of a title shot before he was stunned by Joe Lauzon in October.

"What happened last time was a mistake. I rushed in so hard and fast I was stunned with a jab, and from there I lost the fight. It was kinda dumb, but I am young enough to learn as long as I realize the mistake," said Guillard, 28. "I made the mistake, it didn’t just happen. I know that, but I also know I’m still one of the best fighters in the division."

Miller feels the same way. Despite the loss, he didn’t go back to the gym and make drastic changes to a formula that had been working so well.

"I keep things the same, just try to improve. I made mistakes in that fight and leading up to that fight, and I try to address them and not make the same mistakes again," he said. "I’m still confident. I’m still ready to mix it up with these guys and I still know I can beat anybody in the division. I had an off-fight against a very tough opponent and you can’t get away with that."

The bout headlines the UFC’s first card on FX (Cable 24). It is part of the organization’s new deal with Fox that moves UFC cable events to Fox-affiliated networks FX and Fuel TV.

Miller said being part of the card is a significant moment in his career.

"It’s a new era in the UFC and the expansion of the company," he said. "It’s pretty neat being a part of it. I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of some of the big shows like UFC 100. It’s pretty cool to make my mark on things like this."

The card also features a welterweight bout between Josh Neer and Duane Ludwig, who recently was officially named the UFC record-holder for fastest knockout nearly six years after he stopped Jonathan Goulet in Las Vegas.

The cageside timekeeper recorded the time at 11 seconds, but Ludwig and a strong online contingent long insisted the 2006 knockout took only six seconds.

While there is no procedure for the Nevada Athletic Commission to overturn the official time, UFC president Dana White recently did a video blog in which he timed the fight — he confirmed it lasted six seconds — and said the organization would recognize Ludwig’s record.

"Anyone in any job can make a mistake, but when people won’t admit to a mistake for years and years when it is right there in front of them, it kind of upset me and it was a campaign of mine to get the record set straight," Ludwig said. "It was a long time coming."

The main card airs live at 6 p.m., with the preliminaries airing on Fuel (Cable 319) starting at 3.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.