Why Daniel Cormier is wrong to object to Jim Miller's UFC Hall of Fame induction
Daniel Cormier is a former two-division UFC champion. In 26 bouts, 'DC' has only ever lost three times: once to arguable MMA GOAT Jon Jones and twice to UFC heavyweight GOAT Stipe Miocic. Everyone else has tasted defeat against the former Olympic freestyle wrestler.
Whether it's legendary heavyweight submission machine Frank Mir or all-time great middleweight champion Anderson Silva, no one else has managed to overcome 'DC'. Thus, on paper, he is as well-equipped as anyone to evaluate who deserves to be in the UFC Hall of Fame. After all, he is a Hall of Famer himself.
“I don’t feel like time served immediately puts you in the Hall of Fame. I love Jim Miller, and this makes it hard for me, but I just don’t feel like time served puts you in the Hall of Fame.”
- Daniel Cormier on Jim Miller in UFC HOF
Is Jim Miller a HOFer in your mind? #UFC289 https://t.co/BfP9C3s27W
However, Daniel Cormier recently spoke out against Jim Miller's scheduled induction into the UFC Hall of Fame on his DC and RC podcast. While Cormier is right to state that accomplishments are what should earn a fighter a place in the Hall of Fame, he is wrong to object to Miller's induction. Here's why.
Jim Miller is a highly accomplished UFC fighter
Despite Daniel Cormier's criticisms, Jim Miller's induction into the UFC Hall of Fame isn't due to 'time served' as the former double champion claimed. While 'A-10' has more UFC bouts than anyone in the promotion's history, with 42 fights to his name, he is also the owner of numerous other records.
The 155-pounder holds the record for the most-ever wins in the promotion, an accolade he claimed from its previous owner, who happens to be Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone, another Hall of Famer. That long stretch of victories also makes Jim Miller the leader in all-time wins in the lightweight division.
Following his win at #UFCVegas74, Jim Miller extends his lead as the all time winningest UFC fighter to 25 wins. Does Jim Miller have a future spot in the Hall of Fame? #UFC #MMA https://t.co/mvY4hJaDRA
Furthermore, those wins featured countless highlight reel finishes as 'A-10' only trails former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira for the most-ever finishes in the promotion. He still, however, lays claim to the record for the most finishes in UFC lightweight history, with 17 finishes on his record.
Additionally, those finishes have left him tied with former welterweight title challenger and Brazilian jiu-jitsu icon Demian Maia for the second-most submission wins in UFC history. He also owns seven Fight of the Night honors, with the promotional record being eight.
Only Dustin Poirier, Nate Diaz, Frankie Edgar and Edson Barboza have more, as all four men are tied at eight. All of these accomplishments cannot be discounted by Daniel Cormier. While 'A-10' never captured championship gold in the UFC, that was not a prerequisite when Donald Cerrone and Urijah Faber were inducted.
Daniel Cormier didn't object when less accomplished fighters were inducted
Both Urijah Faber and Donald Cerrone are Hall of Famers. However, 'DC' has never spoken out against 'The California Kid's' inclusion in the pantheon of UFC greats. Like Jim Miller, Urijah Faber never held a UFC title despite taking part in four title fights in the promotion, albeit, one was contested for interim gold.
Instead, Faber is a former WEC champion, which has no bearing on his worthiness as a UFC Hall of Famer despite the promotion's later absorption of the WEC. Additionally, Faber is not as accomplished inside the octagon as Miller is. He owns one UFC record, which is the most UFC bantamweight submission wins.
The truth of the matter is that Urijah Faber was inducted into the Hall of Fame for drawing more eyes to the smaller weight classes, as well as for his thrilling rivalry with former bantamweight titleholder Dominick Cruz. However, Daniel Cormier has never said a word against Urijah Faber's induction.
Congratulations to “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone. The newest inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
#UFC #MMA https://t.co/yE8WmQzrDl
Additionally, 'DC' had nothing negative to say about Donald Cerrone's inclusion, despite 'Cowboy' being the most recent inductee. Like Miller, Cerrone has 36 wins and 17 losses on his record. Unfortunately, he doesn't own as many records as his past opponent does.
'Cowboy' holds two records to the exclusion of everyone else. He has more post-fight bonuses than anyone in UFC history and the most knockdowns ever seen in the promotion. His previous record of all-time wins was eventually overtaken by Jim Miller himself.
'A-10' also claimed 'Cowboy's' record for the most wins in lightweight history. Yet, Daniel Cormier had no criticisms about the UFC's decision to induct Donald Cerrone into the promotion's Hall of Fame.
The Verdict
Were Jim Miller not the record-holder that he is, Daniel Cormier's gripes with his future as a Hall of Famer would be understandable. No fighter should be welcomed into the hall of greats simply due to having more fights and octagon time than everyone else. But that isn't the case with Miller.
Cormier even used the analogy of an NFL offensive lineman who has played for 20 years not being worthy of being in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. What Cormier may have missed is that if said hypothetical NFL player had won more matches than anyone in the sport's history, in addition to other records, he would be.
This is the case with Miller, who is just as worthy of being a Hall of Famer as 'Cowboy' and 'The California Kid' are.