New father Cole Miller talks the ease of parenthood & looking forward to grappling war
Cole Miller has not fought in about 10 months, but the featherweight sure has still been busy. For starters, he had injuries to rehabilitate, as well as a bout of MRSA to survive.
Most significantly, and positively, however, Cole Miller has been busy being a new father. His son is now 11 months old and "been doing great," according to the proud father.
That's always the hope, but is especially appreciated by the little guy's parents after some initial complications he suffered through. "He was born premature, but now he's huge," Miller boasts.
"He's like the size of a three-year-old (laughs)!"
The all-encompassing responsibilities of parenthood can seem overwhelming for many, if not most. Cole isn't one of those people, however.
"It's so easy," he insists.
"You hear these people talk about how hard it is. I watch my son all day when I'm in Georgia. At night, once my girlfriend gets off work, she takes over and I train at night. It's not stressful. It's not hard. Wrestling practice is hard. Having a guy trying to hurt you in a fight where you make half as much money if you lose as if you win is stressful, not being a dad.
"What's the worst of it -- hearing a kid cry? That's what kids do! People say, 'but you have a good baby. Your kid is 11 months. Wait until he is two.' But before we had a kid, everyone was telling us, 'oh you're in for a rude awakening. You'll never sleep again.' I sleep fine. It is all very, not crazy. It's the easiest thing I've ever done. You hear stories telling you how different life is going to be but then you find out your life is way easier than it used to be."
According to Cole, the hardest part of being a dad is having to spend time away from his child. Up until he headed into training camp for Saturday's UFC Fight Night bout in Orlando against Jim Alers, Cole didn't have much reason to be away.
But, in order to prepare properly, he needed to leave his native Georgia behind, along with his family, to get his work in at Florida's American Top Team.
"I have to come back to ATT," he says.
"It is stressful either way. Either it's stressful if I stayed home and didn't have the right training, or it's stressful because I don't get to see my boy. I'd rather be here in Florida, not getting to see him, but win because I was prepared and end up making twice as much money as I would have losing. I have a better chance of winning, training at ATT, so it's fine. It's tough to be away, but it doesn't matter."
In Alers, Cole faces another hungry young lion who is a jiu-jitsu based fighter. Cole anticipates a hard fight from an opponent he respects, but he believes he'll be more than ready to conquer.
"I know that Jim is gritty, and game to fight," he allows.
"I think he wants to get this to the floor. Take me down, put me on my back and score his shots to make me anxious about losing points and rounds. I think he wants to get his takedowns early to make me worry about being on bottom for the better part of a round, and make me anxious about how judges will view it, and then try and put his jiu-jitsu on me.
"But, I don't force fights, and I'm pretty technically proficient in the clinch, and can fight at a distance or in tight. I'm comfortable on the ground whether it's on top or bottom. I think that I'm pretty prepared going into fights. He's strong and has got real punching power, so you've got to look out for a guy like that. I expect him to pour in with forward pressure, but I stay composed. I think there's a good chance of a grappling war, here, which is exciting for me. I like to exchange positions."
Miller also likes to fight in the southeastern United States, near where he was born and raised, and where he trains. Sometimes fighters can find fighting near home to not be worth the home-field advantage, so to speak, because of all the additional pressure and obligations it puts on them from local media, friends, and family.
As with parenthood, Miller is not easily daunted. "It is not distracting to me," he assures.
"I definitely draw a line as far as doing what is necessary to make sure my preparation is the same. I don't let people affect that because people can start pulling and tugging on you. But it does feel good to have all the support in the southeast. A lot of people come from Georgia and from within Florida to show their support. It's great. We appreciate it. It's more exciting, and I'm happy to have that type of vibe."
