Pat Miletich never intended to fight MMA again, especially after celebrating his 55th birthday this past March.
While he did compete in a kickboxing match back in 2020, it had been 15 years since Miletich last fought in the cage with his 2008 win over Thomas Denny. But on Saturday night at Caged Aggression in his home state of Iowa, the UFC Hall of Famer will dust off his gloves to clash with Mike Jackson in a grudge match between former friends.
According to Miletich, the fight became a necessity after he claims Jackson specifically targeted him with an article highlighting his attendance at the rally in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, which erupted into the Capital riots. Shortly after that, Miletich was removed from a Legacy Fighting Alliance broadcast where he was supposed to serve as a color commentator. He ultimately split with the promotion.
The entire ordeal spiraled out of control until a promoter called Miletich and Jackson about settling their differences in the cage rather than a war of words online.
āThe thing about me is, what [Mike] Jackson did, woke up one morning and decided he was going to write an article to attempt to destroy my life,ā Miletich told MMA Fighting. āThis personal character assassination stuff, itās part of cancel culture and itās a troubling thing, someone would wake up in the morning just because of a difference of opinion and set out to destroy someoneās life.ā
Jackson denied playing any part in Miletich no longer working with LFA, much less instrumentally getting him fired, but the bad blood between them still led to a fight.
Whatever the reason, Miletich will now attempt to turn back the clock and defy the logic that time is the greatest enemy to any high-level athlete.
In the history of combat sports, fighters competing deep into their 40s have rarely resulted in much success, so Miletich will attempt to beat the odds when he fights at 55.
Miletich admits nothing came easy, especially as he started putting his body through the rigors of a training camp when he felt like that part of his life was already behind him.
āI certainly started slow, trying to be smart about things, and Iām still trying to be smart about things,ā Miletich said. āI donāt train with reckless abandon like I did in my 20s. Specific things that Iām doing, certain ways of training that limit your chances of getting injured.
āI feel confident where Iām at, about my power, my speed, my endurance, my grappling and my striking ability, all those things. You definitely donāt forget how to ride a bike. You might have a ramp up a little bit and it might be a bumpy ride.ā
As much as Miletich wanted to give up at certain times during his preparation, he continued pushing forward with hopes that his dedication could serve as an inspiration to anybody being told theyāre too old to accomplish something.
āThereās been moments where I said this is an uphill battle,ā Miletich stated. āBut it really comes down to just getting back up, and I guess itās a lesson for me and hopefully a lesson for other people who have gotten a little bit older and donāt think theyāre capable of doing things. Iām here to tell you that you are [capable].
āIf you make a few tweaks, eat a little bit better and just keep going back, things will change. Luckily, Iāve got support. My significant other has been very, very helpful with not only just watching what Iām eating, but making suggestions on my training and things like that. You can do it. Thatās my message to the guys who are in their 30s, 40s, 50s or even 60s, that if you just decide to put the right stuff in your body and put the work in, you can actually do a lot more than you realize you can.ā
Of course, Miletich understands the odds may be against him as he gets ready to fight in his mid-50s.
Miletich knows that in his prime, Jackson probably wouldnāt even be in consideration as an opponent for him, much less as a threat capable of beating him. Perhaps his advanced age will even those odds on Saturday, but Miletich is still betting on himself to get the job done.
āIf I was in my 20s, 30s, or even 40s, the conversation wouldnāt even be happening,ā Miletich said. āBut because Iām in my 50s, Mike Jackson says, literally his words verbatim are, āI will dog walk your old snow roach ass.ā Thatās how he feels. Thatās his confidence level, so I guess the lesson needs to be taught.
āObviously yes, Iāve seen crazy upsets in my life. But I donāt believe he possesses the speed, power, or athleticism, any of those things to hurt me. Iāve never lost consciousness. Iāve never had symptoms of a concussion. While I may not be the smartest guy in the world, Iāve never had the symptoms of a concussion, so that can tell you I have a pretty hard head. Itās going to be awful tough for him to pull that off.ā
mike jackson actually got pat fired from his pfl commentation gig
that mighta been what sent pat deep into alcoholism
i wanna see this fight so bad iād almost buy the ppv
Hopefully Pat has that old man strength and fucks Jackson upā¦ Would love to see Jackson eating from a straw
Jackson gets so many of you so butthurt lol.
should be streaming now somewhere
Broadcasting LIVE at 7:30pm Central Standard Time each night!!
Select either 1 night for $45.95 (+$1 service fee) or BOTH NIGHTS for a discounted price!
LIVE PAY PER VIEW COMMENTATED BY THE ONE AND ONLY B.J. PENN, JASON āBERMNASTYā BERMAS & JEFFERY WILSON
lol at $45
I donāt think there should be a commission.
If 2 men wanna fight and others wanna pay to watchā¦
It shouldnāt be the governments business.
BUTā¦ if a commission DOES existā¦ then its main purpose should be to stop a man in his 50ās from facing a man in his 30ās.
Itās no more fair than the UFC putting a bantamweight vs a heavyweight.
I donāt understand why a huge weight advantage isnāt ok but a huge age advantage is.
People around Pat should be ashamed of themselves
Confident black men make conservative white men uncomfortable
I agree but like a previous poster itās probably better for pat if he wrestles. You lose your reflexes, speed and chin before your ability to wrestle.
If Pat loses that 3/4 white faggot should have to fight Jake. They should have Jake already in the crowd so that pussy faggot is asked to fight him while his adrenaline is still sky high.
Jake would fight him for free
People dont realise what a mismatch this is. Pat was one of the best in the world. He was that good.
He cant compete with the A level at his age but he will beat Jackson.
Pat is the Dan Gable of mma. He has moves the younger guys havenāt even seen yet.
Pat takes this no problem.
Your virtue, I can see it! The shimmering pearlescent aurora!
I dunnoā¦sure looked like Jake Shields had Jackson pretty uncomfortable when they were pulling him off
weird i thought it was on last night
no wonder i couldnt find a stream
well pat looked good in his last fightā¦ 15 years ago
hope hes still got it
lOOking Forward
Iām hoping so. I do believe that Pat is probably correct that at best, Jackson probably doesnāt have the one shot KO power to actually take him out clean, certainly if Jacksonās performance against a horrible CM Punk is any indication.
If thereās one fight Pat probably could win at 55 years old, itās probably this one.
Doesnāt mean he will, just means that itās probably the best chance a 55 retired fighter has of beating anyone under the age of 40 who isnāt a pure amateur.
