UFC veteran Jim Miller was close to making his return to the octagon at UFC Vegas 74 after months of rigorous training. Like any fighter, he was anxious to get back in action and demonstrate his skills, but fate had something else in store for him. Jim was just about to rely upon his routine when he noticed a call from UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby in his cell. As soon as he saw Shelby’s name on the phone’s screen, Jim suspected that he would not like what he was about to hear.

Speaking to noted journalist The Fighter vs. The Writer, Jim disclosed that he began cursing before he even answered the call because he knew right away that something had gone awry with his slated fight against Jared Gordon. Jim’s fears were borne true as Sean informed him that Jared had been pulled out of the fight.

Jim was given two potential alternatives to choose from: wait for his original opponent Ludovit Klein to return or take on a late replacement instead. Understanding the challenges involved in waiting further for the stalled fight, Jim decided to take his chances with the late-replacement fighter, Jesse Buckley. Jim’s gamble proved to be fortunate, as he defeated Buckley in just twenty-three magnificent seconds, and he also received a Performance of the Night award along with his win.

Despite his initial worries about the fight with Jared Gordon in the first place, mainly because of watching Gordon’s recent fight where he was knocked out by an accidental headbutt, Miller was still optimistic ahead of the bout. Jim believed that Jared was fit and ready to fight, especially since he had told the UFC as much. Jim said: “Regardless of the fight (with Bobby Green) getting overturned to a no-contest, that doesn’t affect what happened inside the octagon that night.”

Jim was, therefore, confident that Jared had shown that he was in top form by revealing his fitness for the fight. The other fighter had already suffered a minor concussion in his fight, and it was only when he talked to the media during fight week that he revealed this fact. He stated that he had overcome the symptoms “fairly quickly and recovered entirely.”

The UFC President, Dana White, was furious with Jared Gordon for accepting the fight with Jim Miller, despite knowing he was diagnosed with the concussion. Dana White criticized Gordon, saying, “He should have told us that six weeks ago…He should have shown the company and your opponent some respect and at least did that six weeks ago.”