Ultimate Fighting Championship mainstay
Jim
Miller still has a chance to go for his 25th win in the Octagon
next week.
Per a UFC press release on Thursday, Miller (35-16, 1 NC) has
received a replacement opponent for
UFC Fight Night 219. The longtime vet will now meet Alexander
Hernandez (13-6) at lightweight, with the latter coming back up
from a one-off appearance at featherweight in December. The two
will square off on the main card that will be held inside of the
UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Feb. 18.
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The 39-year-old Miller is currently riding a three-fight finish
streak, knocking out Erick
Gonzalez and Nikolas
Motta before tapping Donald
Cerrone with a guillotine choke in his last outing. The win
streak is his longest since getting his hand raised three fights in
a row in 2016. The roster staple that has been part of the
organization since 2009 holds the most appearances (40), most wins
(24) and is tied with Cerrone for the second-most finishes (16) in
company history.
On the heels of a two-stoppage skid, Hernandez moves back to 155
pounds against the grizzled vet. The 2022 campaign for “The Great
Ape” went poorly, as Renato
Carneiro snared him in a rear-naked choke, and an ill-fated
trip to featherweight saw him get knocked out by Billy
Quarantillo. Before the two losses in a row, Hernandez had
alternated victories and defeats in his last seven outings, with
his most notable win likely a decision over Olivier
Aubin-Mercier in 2018 that has aged exceptionally well.
UFC Fight Night 219 goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Feb.
18, and flyweights take center stage as former title challenger
Taila
Santos takes on the surging Erin
Blanchfield in a possible championship eliminator. The
co-headliner sees Jordan
Wright vs. Zac Pauga in
the light heavyweight division, while the remainder of the main
card is rounded out by a heavyweight clash pitting Josh
Parisian against Jamal
Pogues, and a 205-pound scrap as William
Knight throws down with Marcin
Prachnio.