The Replacement Player
Dan Miller has a sizeable task in front of him. A 6-foot, 185-pound task, to be exact. Ryan McGivern, the decorated Champion out of Miletich Fighting Systems, will try to stop the Sparta, NJ native from becoming the IFL’s newest Middleweight king at Mohegan Sun on May 16.
This is, to say the least, a daunting challenge, but it won’t be the first giant Miller ventured out to slay. In his IFL debut, he answered the call from Renzo Gracie to step in as Fabio Leopoldo’s injury replacement at the 2007 Championship semi-finals. It’s a long-shot at best for a rookie to step into the post season and pull off a win, but Miller bet his odds and cashed in. He needed only 1:30 of the first round to dispatch Dave Philips by way of submission and thus, propelling the Gracie camp into the finals.
It’s somewhat of a thankless job to stand in as an injury replacement. As it so often goes, the starter recovers, and it’s back-to-the-bench for the up-and-comer who had his 15 minutes in the spotlight. This was the case for Miller, who was forced to sit out and watch as the team he’d helped advance to the final round won the trophy, but it didn’t bother him much.
“I knew what the deal was going into it, so it didn’t really bother me,” he stated. He did the job he was asked, then stepped quietly aside. His efforts did not go entirely unnoticed, however. It wasn’t long after that stunning performance when Miller was contacted by IFL matchmakers and was given the chance of a lifetime. He was given a shot at the title.
This time around there would be no bench to warm, no hole to fill. Miller is the star, and the rules are simple: win and you’re here to stay, lose and it’s back to the minors.
As history reports, Miller will not easily succumb to the mounted pressure, but the beautiful thing about the fight game is that it doesn’t much matter what you’ve done in the past. It’s all about today. And despite his past success, he has no delusions about the road that lies ahead. “He [McGivern] is a different fighter and it’s a totally different fight. Dave [Philips] was a Jiu Jitsu guy, and Ryan is a wrestler and a striker, so it’s going to be a totally different fight.”
McGivern and Miller match up well with each other, both have excellent wrestling backgrounds and are more than comfortable on the mat. Miller has adapted well to the striking components, and McGivern has proven he can be a serious threat to anyone on the feet.
“I have confidence in every aspect of the game, so I’m going to go in and see what happens. I’ll strike with him if I need to and I’ll take it to the ground if I need to,” Miller said.
No doubt that McGivern will protect his belt with a ferocity that few of us would ever care to meet, but such is the life of a fighter. They’re a different breed, a special brand of athlete and they’ve got their own set of standards.
On May 16, Miller will step into the ring and stare stone-faced into the eyes of one of the most dangerous men on the planet and tell him he’s there to take away the title.
That’s what Miller does. Not because he’s cruel or angry. Not because he’s out to hurt anybody, but because it’s his job. He’s a fighter.
Dan Miller has a sizeable task in front of him. A 6-foot, 185-pound task, to be exact. Ryan McGivern, the decorated Champion out of Miletich Fighting Systems, will try to stop the Sparta, NJ native from becoming the IFL’s newest Middleweight king at Mohegan Sun on May 16.
This is, to say the least, a daunting challenge, but it won’t be the first giant Miller ventured out to slay. In his IFL debut, he answered the call from Renzo Gracie to step in as Fabio Leopoldo’s injury replacement at the 2007 Championship semi-finals. It’s a long-shot at best for a rookie to step into the post season and pull off a win, but Miller bet his odds and cashed in. He needed only 1:30 of the first round to dispatch Dave Philips by way of submission and thus, propelling the Gracie camp into the finals.
It’s somewhat of a thankless job to stand in as an injury replacement. As it so often goes, the starter recovers, and it’s back-to-the-bench for the up-and-comer who had his 15 minutes in the spotlight. This was the case for Miller, who was forced to sit out and watch as the team he’d helped advance to the final round won the trophy, but it didn’t bother him much.
“I knew what the deal was going into it, so it didn’t really bother me,” he stated. He did the job he was asked, then stepped quietly aside. His efforts did not go entirely unnoticed, however. It wasn’t long after that stunning performance when Miller was contacted by IFL matchmakers and was given the chance of a lifetime. He was given a shot at the title.
This time around there would be no bench to warm, no hole to fill. Miller is the star, and the rules are simple: win and you’re here to stay, lose and it’s back to the minors.
As history reports, Miller will not easily succumb to the mounted pressure, but the beautiful thing about the fight game is that it doesn’t much matter what you’ve done in the past. It’s all about today. And despite his past success, he has no delusions about the road that lies ahead. “He [McGivern] is a different fighter and it’s a totally different fight. Dave [Philips] was a Jiu Jitsu guy, and Ryan is a wrestler and a striker, so it’s going to be a totally different fight.”
McGivern and Miller match up well with each other, both have excellent wrestling backgrounds and are more than comfortable on the mat. Miller has adapted well to the striking components, and McGivern has proven he can be a serious threat to anyone on the feet.
“I have confidence in every aspect of the game, so I’m going to go in and see what happens. I’ll strike with him if I need to and I’ll take it to the ground if I need to,” Miller said.
No doubt that McGivern will protect his belt with a ferocity that few of us would ever care to meet, but such is the life of a fighter. They’re a different breed, a special brand of athlete and they’ve got their own set of standards.
On May 16, Miller will step into the ring and stare stone-faced into the eyes of one of the most dangerous men on the planet and tell him he’s there to take away the title.
That’s what Miller does. Not because he’s cruel or angry. Not because he’s out to hurt anybody, but because it’s his job. He’s a fighter.