Gray Maynard vs. Jim Miller
The second fight of the show features two top prospects at 155 pounds, as undefeated Xtreme Couture prodigy Gray Maynard puts his unbeaten record on the line against 13-1 Jim Miller, currently riding an eight fight win streak including wins over Matt Wiman and Bart Palaszewski.
Stylistically, this is an extremely interesting matchup. Miller’s submission game is extremely effective, and he has finished 9 of his 13 victories with a submission. With only one TKO on his record, it is clear that Miller feels most at home on the ground, which is a good thing for him, since Maynard’s wrestling is so powerful and dominant that there is little question that the fight will end up there. That creates an interesting situation.
Maynard’s biggest strength is by far his wrestling, so it seems a foregone conclusion that this fight will end up on the ground, and that Maynard will be in a dominant position. At that point, it becomes a direct showdown between Miller’s jiu-jitsu and Maynard’s top control and submission defense.
As skilled as Miller is on the ground, Maynard’s superior strength and smothering top control are going to be difficult for him to surmount.
I see Maynard grinding out a largely uneventful unanimous decision by stifling Miller’s offense and keeping him pinned down for the majority of the fight.
