Micah Miller: Sometimes it's all in how you fight mentally.

Fighters.com spoke with Micah Miller (9-2) the night before his fight against Jason Palacios (6-5) at CQC: “In the Cage” in Charlotte 13 December. A member of American Top Team and a Georgia native, the twenty-one-year-old Miller looks to rebound from his loss in August to Josh Grispi (12-1) at World Extreme Cage Fighting.

Fighters.com: Micah, you are scheduled to fight Jason Palacios at CQC tomorrow night. On paper it looks like a pretty even fight stylistically. Where do you feel you might have an advantage in the fight, if any?

Micah Miller: Well, I don’t really know much about Jason. So, I don’t really know where my strengths or my advantages are in this fight. When I trained for this fight, I just concentrated on myself and tried to make myself as good as can be. I trained every aspect and tried to get as good as I could at every aspect. I’ll just go out there and see how the fight unfolds.

Fighters.com: Speaking of training, how does it feel to be part of such a renowned gym as American Top Team with teammates such as new WEC featherweight champion Mike Thomas Brown (16-4) among many other notable fighters?

Micah Miller: It’s an honor. I definitely don’t take it for granted. Everyday I walk into the gym I think about how lucky I am. I use the gym to its full potential.

Fighters.com: Your older brother Cole Miller (14-3) is also an American Top Team member. How has Cole played an role in your MMA career?

Micah Miller: Well, he started doing this a little before I started. Really, it makes things easy because I can blueprint my career after his career. He’s been excelling lately. And the mistakes he’s made in the past I can look at and not make in my fights. Cole’s a level above me so I am always chasing him.

Fighters.com: And Cole is one of your primary training partners as well, correct? I always see him in your corner every fight.

Micah Miller: Yeah, absolutely.

Fighters.com: You have something a lot of other fighters don’t have, I assume, in the fact that Cole provides you both moral and family support in the midst of a fight.

Micah Miller: Yeah, you’re right. [laughing]

Fighters.com: What is it like to have your big brother in the corner giving you advice? I’m sure he has insight other trainers might not.

Micah Miller: Yeah, he knows me really well. Not only as a fighter but as a person. He’s knows what kind of drive that I have. He knows I am strong mentally. You know, it’s easy to have someone in your corner telling you what to do when you trust that they really know who you are.

Fighters.com: You have a really solid career and you are still very young. Does your age provide optimism for your longevity in the sport of mixed martial arts?

Micah Miller: Absolutely. Yves Edwards (34-15-1) is a teammate of mine. When he was coming up I looked up to him so much as a fighter. And the other day he was talking to me about how good I am doing and where I am at in the sport. He said he had never seen anybody excel as fast as I have.

It was such a huge compliment. It’s good to see people like Yves who I look up too; that are really good; giving me high praise. It’s an honor to hear this but at the same time, it’s come with a lot of hard work.

Fighters.com: You briefly trained earlier in your career at the HardCore Gym in Athens with Adam and Rory Singer (12-8). What’s your thoughts on MMA in the state of Georgia these days?

Micah Miller: I think it’s great. Especially a gym like the HardCore Gym. Because the fighters at HardCore not only train there but they go over and train with Roberto Traven (6-3-1) and Junior Assuncao (1-1) and Paul Creighton (2-1). Some of these best guys. Jeff Bedard (10-2) too. You know, the elite guys in Georgia get together and have some really good training sessions. So, it’s kind of exploded.

Fighters.com: Speaking of elite Georgia fighters, Brian Bowles (7-0) often participates in those sort of training sessions. He just scored a strong victory at WEC 37 and most industry insiders are picking him to face Miguel Torres (35-1) for a title shot. Do you know Brian very well?

Micah Miller: Oh, I know Brian really well. Me and Brian fought as amateurs before I started training at the HardCore Gym. I trained with him for about a year and half. When I heard there was going to be a bantamweight division and that Brian wanted to go for it; I knew that he was going to do great things.

It’s funny, I was killing myself for not betting on that Charlie Valencia (9-5) fight. Because I knew that Brian was about to explode onto the scene. But I missed out on the bets because he’s not an underdog anymore.

Fighters.com: Yeah, it seems that Brian flew under the radar for a while due to a lack of promotion.

Micah Miller: Yeah, it’s funny to have the insight on Brian that guys like me have. Having fought him and trained with him for so long. You know, I know better than anybody. So it’s been kind of funny in the past reading headlines and articles of people picking fighters to win against him. It’s just funny. I’d sit back and laugh and watch Brian dominate his opponents.

Fighters.com: Pardon the change of pace here but you experienced a tough loss in August against Josh Grispi (12-1) at the WEC 30. What did you learn from the loss?

Micah Miller: It’s hard to say. I worked really hard. For the Grispi fight I trained harder than I’d ever trained before in my life. I was in better shape than I’d ever been for that fight. You know, I kind of thought that sometimes hard work isn’t rewarded. Sometimes it’s all in how you fight mentally. And how smart you fight.

I didn’t fight that fight smart. I went out there and got impatient. I chased him. I came to him and then he hit me with a good shot. So, sometimes no matter how hard you train or how good of shape you’re in or how much defense you work. Sometimes you just get caught. It really made me think about gameplans for fights. And to stay more patient.

Fighters.com: You are scheduled to fight Dwayne Shelton (8-4)  January at “Rumble at Robarts” in Sarasota. What’s your thoughts on Shelton as an opponent?

Micah Miller: Well, he fought my brother Cole. So I have good insight. I know what he brings to the table and it’s nothing close to what I bring to the table.

Fighters.com: Micah, thanks for your time. Fighters.com would like to wish you the best of luck in your fight tomorrow and the bout in January. Enjoy your dinner tonight. I know cutting weight is a pain sometimes.

Micah Miller: [laughing] Yeah, absolutely.

Fighters.com: But I think you lighter fighters sometimes have it easier than bigger guys like light heavyweights. [laughing] Right? I know that light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin (16-4) sometimes walks around naturally at about two hundred and forty pounds.

Micah Miller: Oh yeah. I have seen him that weight before. He’d come to Athens sometimes when I still lived there and I saw him get on a scale in my kitchen once at two hundred and forty five pounds. [laughing]

Fighters.com: [laughing] Well you know, I am going to sound like a broken record lately, but since we’ve mentioned Forrest and since you are from Georgia, who are you picking to win the upcoming title shot between Forrest and “Sugar” Rashad Evans (12-0-1)?

Micah Miller: I expect Forrest to win against Rashad. I think it’ll be closer than most people think. You know, just because Forrest is coming off winning the title. People are maybe picking Forrest by default. But, I think it’s a real even match-up. And I think that it’s going to be a grind. And I will pick Forrest in any grind ever. It’s hard to pick against Forrest in any five round fight.

Fighters.com: Well Micah, again, thanks for your time. Good luck.

Micah Miller: Yeah man, I appreciate it.