Jim Miller books 43rd promotional appearance – but not for UFC 300 (yet)

Jim Miller has made it clear he wants on UFC 300, but he’s taking one more before then.

Wednesday, the UFC announced Miller’s next bout (his 43rd) will be Jan. 13 against Gabriel Benitez. The UFC Fight Night event is slated for the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The two were originally expected to fight in February, but the bout was canceled.

Barring an unexpected Brock Lesnar comeback, Miller (36-17 MMA, 25-16 UFC) has the opportunity to be the only fighter to compete at each of UFC 100, UFC 200, and UFC 300, should he be ready to compete at the promotion’s tricentennial April pay-per-view. First, he’ll have to get through the Benitez (23-10 MMA, 7-6 UFC) unscathed enough to make a three-month turnaround.

Miller, 40, is the UFC’s all-time fight leader (42). He debuted in the promotion at UFC 89 in October 2008. Despite his longevity in the sport, Miller has racked up wins in recent years. He’s 4-1 in his most recent five including a 23-second knockout of Jesse Butler in June.

Benitez, 35, has been with the UFC since 2014 after a stint on “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 1.” He enters the bout 2-2 in his most recent four outings. Benitez most recently competed in August 2022 when he pounded out Charlie Ontiveros.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Jan. 13 includes:

• Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker
• Andrei Arlovski vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
• Norma Dumont vs. Yana Santos
• Macy Chiasson vs. Ketlen Vieira
• Mario Bautista vs. Ricky Simon
• Manel Kape vs. Matheus Nicolau
• Gaston Bolanos vs. Marcus McGhee
• Bassil Hafez vs. Preston Parsons
• Brunno Ferreira vs. Phil Hawes
• Denys Bondar vs. Felipe Bunes
• Faris Basharat vs. Taylor Lapilus

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for the UFC Fight Night event Jan. 13.