UFC 134 – Dan Miller looking to block out the crowd and avoid the leg locks when he takes to the octagon in Rio

UFC middleweight veteran, Dan Miller has revealed he’s going to need to block out all distractions that head his way when he takes to the octagon later tonight for his UFC 134 clash with Rousimar Palhares in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as avoid the leg locks that are no doubt coming his way during the fight.
Speaking via MMAWeekly.com, Miller said:

“I am expecting a crazy crowd, but I’m going into that fight and I’m going to try and block everything else out and just go in there and concentrate on Rousimar. It’s going to be a tough fight as it is and I really don’t need the crowd trying to get into my head.  So I’m just going to concentrate on the fight and that’s basically it.”

“There’s always pressure.  Yeah that adds a little pressure to him, but I still got to go in there and get the win and I’m still going in there to finish him regardless of where it is.  I think it does add a little pressure, but he’s a professional also and I’m sure he’s going to be concentrating on just fighting me, blocking everything else out, and I hope he brings his best.”

On his fight tonight with Palhares, an opponent he knows is very strong with one aspect of his Jiu-Jitsu game, Miller said:

“He’s a very, very, dangerous fighter because he’s a leg lock guy.  You rarely, rarely, ever see a guy who is that good in jiu-jitsu where it’s one aspect.  Demian Maia, who is a fantastic jiu-jitsu guy, is good all over; it’s one of those things where he puts stuff together.  With Rousimar, it’s how many times have you ever seen a guy that good at leg locks?  So I think it’s tough to train for a guy like that, but I’ve been training jiu-jitsu for a long, long time and I think I’m ready for it.”

The AMA Fight Club fighter picked up much needed wins over John Salter and Joe Doerksen last year only to return to the losing column at UFC 128 when he was defeated by Nate Marquardt via decision.