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Daniel Cormier is one of the best fighters to ever grace the UFC octagon.
The MMA legend was a champion in two separate divisions and cleaned out both the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions sans Jon Jones.
Following his UFC retirement, Cormier was inducted into the organization’s hall of fame in 2022.
Cormier undoubtedly had a hall of fame career.
But it’s what he said about another potential hall of famer that has UFC veteran Matt Brown fired up.
Cormier recently stated that he doesn’t feel UFC stalwart Jim Miller is worthy of a hall of fame spot.
“It makes me feel bad, because … I’m of the other side,” Cormier said. “I tap out, bro. I don’t feel, RC, like time served immediately puts you in the Hall of Fame. Look, he’s got more wins than anyone else. 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.
While Miller certainly didn’t reach the heights that Cormier did, his resume is pretty darn impressive.
Over a stunning 15-year (and counting) UFC career, Miller has racked up the most fights (42) and wins (25) in company history. He also has the most finishes in lightweight history at 15, the second-most submission victories in UFC history (11), and seven “fight of the night” awards.
Simply put, Miller has cemented his legacy as a legend in the company. But as Cormier stated, most of his accomplishments are due to longevity as much as they are success at the highest level.
Though Matt Brown, who fought 30 times in the UFC, says that longevity is what makes Miller a hall of famer.
“You have to do something extraordinary — longevity is an extraordinary feat,” Brown said on an episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer podcast. “To have longevity in the sport. We’ve got to be in the .1 percent of MMA fighters who have been in the UFC [for this long]. How many thousands and thousands of fighters have been in the UFC at this point?
“It’s not like Sam Alvey longevity. You’re doing something extraordinary. It is extraordinary, not to toot my own horn, but to be in there for 15 years that’s a f****** extraordinary feat.”
It’s an age old argument across all sports. Does consistent of an extend period measure up to a short period of elite performance?
Ultimately, the answer will determine Miller’s hall of fame fate.