Where the Rubber Meets the Road

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Nikolas Motta returned to his roots ahead of a potentially career-altering assignment—a wise choice considering the circumstances.

“The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” Season 4 quarterfinalist will make his organizational debut against the most experienced competitor in Ultimate Fighting Championship history when he meets Jim Miller in a UFC Fight Night 201 lightweight showcase this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Motta has spent much of his time preparing for Miller at the famed Nova Uniao camp fronted by legendary trainer Andre Pederneiras.

“I always visit Brazil at the end of the year,” he said. “Coach Pederneiras called me to train at Nova Uniao. I told him I had just been booked against Miller. He said that was perfect since Rafael dos Anjos was coming in from California to get ready to headline the same card against Rafael Fiziev.”

The Dos Anjos-Motta partnership was a fortuitous one and beneficial to both parties, even though the former saw his main event with Fiziev get rescheduled for March 5.

“It was a great coincidence,” Motta said. “Dos Anjos is a southpaw who likes to grapple, just like Jim Miller, and Rafael Fiziev is a striker, just like me. Pederneiras paired us up to get ready together at Nova Uniao. I’ve been having great wrestling training sessions with coach Daniel Malvino. I’ve been working on my muay Thai and kickboxing with coach Anderson Falcao. It’s been great, and there’s no comparison to the jiu-jitsu training at Nova Uniao, which I’ve been working on with Pedro Falcao.

“Nova Uniao is the perfect place to get ready for an opponent like Miller, who has such excellent jiu-jitsu,” he added. “Every day I learn something new. This is where I grew up as an MMA fighter.”

The bout marks the 39th appearance inside the Octagon—an all-time record—for Miller, who first competed in the UFC in 2008. Motta was 15 years old at the time. The staggering experience gap between the two men has not been lost on the Brazilian or his handlers.

“Without a doubt, Miller is a legend in the history of both MMA and the UFC,” said Motta, who carries a 12-3 record that features eight wins by knockout or technical knockout. “I see myself as the winner. I’m working very hard to make sure that happens. I’m very focused on beating him.”

Miller and Motta were originally booked opposite one another at UFC Fight Night 172 in September. However, Miller’s positive coronavirus test prompted a postponement. In fact, Motta has seen three fights fall through since he earned a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series more than a year ago, and the delay has proven challenging for the champing-at-the-bit 29-year-old Brazilian.

“Despite the end-of-the-year holidays, I stayed focused and kept on training and working on my diet,” he said. “I knew that a fight could materialize at any moment. Miller’s previous opponent dropped out. My manager learned about it and called me to get me booked. I had already been booked against Miller in September, but he came down with COVID-19, so this is my second camp to get ready for him.”

Motta enters his first UFC outing on the strength of a three-fight winning streak. The former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder used a unanimous decision over Joseph Lowry on DWCS in November 2020 as his springboard into the sport’s premier organization. It was a defining moment in his development.

“That bout in the Contender Series showcased what I’ve learned from my setbacks,” Motta said. “I’ve matured. I used that maturity to win. The news that I was chosen to fight in the UFC was the result of many years of hard work and perseverance. I kept evolving, learning from my mistakes and overcoming obstacles. It was a lot of hard work and sacrifice, including time away from my friends and family. First, I was in a different state and eventually in a different country, but I never gave up.”

Motta, who has also spent significant time training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, understands the gravity of the challenge being laid before him. Miller has compiled a 22-15 record with one no contest across his record-setting 38 appearances in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. No fighter has attempted more submissions (45) in the UFC than Miller, and he remains one of only nine competitors to accrue more than six hours of fight time inside the Octagon, his resume highlighted by victories over Joe Lauzon (twice), Clay Guida, Thiago Alves, former Pride Fighting Championships titleholder Takanori Gomi and current UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.

“I truly respect Jim Miller,” Motta said. “I hope we have a great fight together, and just like he deserves to be in the UFC Hall of Fame, I’d like to make my own history one day, too.”