After 45 UFC fights, Jim Miller realizes Indiana Jones was right

It’s not the years, it’s the mileage.

Yes, Harrison Ford said that when he played Indiana Jones in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Nowadays, Jim Miller is saying the same thing.

For years, Miller (38-18 MMA, 27-17 UFC) has been asked when he plans to retire – if he will ever retire. Though he continues to rack up more wins than losses despite his age, Miller said the miles of 45 fights in the UFC alone are finally starting to add up.

“It’s like being in a little, tiny blowup dingy in the middle of the storm in the pacific,” Miller recently told MMA Junkie. “There are good days. Some days you are really high and you’re feeling good. Other days, you’re down low and you’re not feeling great. That’s kind of the way it is. Honestly, even out of fight camp, you get up with the bumps and bruises and those things where you hop out of bed and are like, ‘Why does that leg hurt?’ or ‘Why is my back tight? What did I do?’ Indiana Jones had the line, ‘It’s not the years, it’s the mileage.’ That’s 100 percent what it is. I’ve got a lot of miles on my body through a couple dozen training camps, UFC training camps. That’s a lot of rounds. It’s a lot of time on the mats with people trying to hit me hard or trying to put me in joint locks or chokes. It adds up. Stuff happens. I’m banged up.”

While Miller might have a limp as he approaches the finish line of a legendary UFC tenure, it’s barely noticeable. He’s won six of his most recent eight bouts. All of those victories were finishes and the defeats were decisions.

Miller, 41, returns April 12 vs. Chase Hooper (15-3-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) at UFC 314 in Miami. Hooper, 25, was not born until 18 years after “Raiders of the Lost Ark” released. Despite the difference in age, Miller doesn’t think youth necessarily signals advantage.

“We don’t see a gap like this that often, but it’s not weird. It’s the fight game and he’s got what?” Miller said. “A dozen UFC fights at this point? He’s been around for a little bit. He came in super young. It’s kind of what I get for sticking around so long. It was bound to happen to fight guys from yet another generation. Yeah, his youth is definitely a tool for him and a weapon for him. My experience is a weapon for me. We’ll see if he’s able to use his youth and I’m going to try to see if I can use my experience.”

Like Miller, Hooper is known for his Brazilian jiu-jitsu prowess. Eight of his 15 pro wins have been by submission. While Miller never plans for specific finishing maneuvers, he admitted a submission would be pretty sweet.

“I’ve knocked a few guys out at this point,” Miller said. “Wrapping your arms around somebody’s neck and making them quit? That is the best. Because you can hit somebody hard but there is still part of them that wants to be in that fight. Maybe everything shut off and the computer is rebooting, but there is still some fight left in their body and their psyche. When you make somebody tap, that’s the ultimate, in my opinion. So yeah, I’d love to get that opportunity to get another submission win.”