Pat Miletich explains why he's returning to MMA at age 55 to fight Mike Jackson

13/10/2023 16:00

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.

"The 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," Miletich told MMA Fighting. "This personal character assassination stuff, it's part of cancel culture and it's a troubling thing, someone would wake up in the morning just because of a difference of opinion and set out to destroy someone's life."

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.

"I certainly started slow, trying to be smart about things, and I'm still trying to be smart about things," Miletich said. "I don't train with reckless abandon like I did in my 20s. Specific things that I'm doing, certain ways of training that limit your chances of getting injured.

"I feel confident where I'm at, about my power, my speed, my endurance, my grappling and my striking ability, all those things. You definitely don't forget how to ride a bike. You might have a ramp up a little bit and it might be a bumpy ride."

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 they're too old to accomplish something.

"There's been moments where I said this is an uphill battle," Miletich stated. "But it really comes down to just getting back up, and I guess it's a lesson for me and hopefully a lesson for other people who have gotten a little bit older and don't think they're capable of doing things. I'm here to tell you that you are [capable].

"If you make a few tweaks, eat a little bit better and just keep going back, things will change. Luckily, I've got support. My significant other has been very, very helpful with not only just watching what I'm eating, but making suggestions on my training and things like that. You can do it. That's 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."

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 wouldn't 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.

"If I was in my 20s, 30s, or even 40s, the conversation wouldn't even be happening," Miletich said. "But because I'm in my 50s, Mike Jackson says, literally his words verbatim are, 'I will dog walk your old snow roach ass.' That's how he feels. That's his confidence level, so I guess the lesson needs to be taught.

"Obviously yes, I've seen crazy upsets in my life. But I don't believe he possesses the speed, power, or athleticism, any of those things to hurt me. I've never lost consciousness. I've never had symptoms of a concussion. While I may not be the smartest guy in the world, I've never had the symptoms of a concussion, so that can tell you I have a pretty hard head. It's going to be awful tough for him to pull that off."