UFC Fighter Jim Miller Reveals Costly Battle for Son's Cancer Treatment
After a year-long hiatus from the Octagon, veteran lightweight Jim Miller (27-17 MMA, 26-16 UFC) spoke candidly with the media ahead of his UFC 328 bout against Jared Gordon. The 42-year-old UFC veteran disclosed that his 14-year-old son, Wyatt, was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive childhood cancer affecting soft tissue.
According to Miller, the tumor was located in a precarious spot, tucked into his son's sinus and eye socket, requiring aggressive treatment.
"He had a tumor tucked into his sinus and eye socket," Miller explained to Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie. "Frontally, location-wise, it was probably in the best spot it could be. It popped right out when he did the biopsy."
Watch the full interview here:
"With the placement of his, when they went to do the biopsy, it kind of popped out on its own, kind of like a pimple, and pretty much the entire thing was removed other than a handful of cells that were left behind," he told Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie.
Wyatt still required two rounds of chemotherapy and five weeks of daily proton radiation treatments at Rutgers University Cancer Institute.
Miller also disclosed he was dealing with a pelvic injury.
"Nothing has ever been debilitating athletically as the pelvis injury," he stated. "It hurt my ego a little bit. I felt a little pathetic at times because I couldn't even jog."
Financial Struggles
When the conversation shifted to the financial realities of his son's treatment, Miller did not hold back about the UFC's lack of comprehensive healthcare coverage.
"I've been a professional fighter since I've been in the UFC. And I've had a lot of things go my way when it comes to that," Miller told MMA Junkie. "There's a difference between fighting professionally and being a professional fighter."
According to the UFC record books, Miller has fought the most for the promotion, tallying 46 fights for the UFC. He also holds the record for most wins in the UFC at 27 victories. He also holds the no. 2 spot for most finishes and most submissions in the promotion, second to Charles Oliveira.
He is also tied for fourth in fight night bonuses at 15.
He elaborated on his long-standing responsibility for his family's medical expenses.
"I've been paying for health insurance for my family for quite a while now. And we pay a fortune," Miller stated. "Some of those fights are still ongoing with the insurance company, but for the most part, they pay for some of the big stuff. So we're still trying to make sure that they uphold their end of the bargain."
Miller detailed the financial strain that piled up during his son's treatment, separate from major hospital bills.
"My wife and I, we handle that. It's hard for me… There are a lot of bills, like every time you're paying that $50 copay and all this stuff, and paying for parking, and this and that, and gas down to Rutgers for [my son's] radiation... it all adds up," he said.
Miller Remains Grateful
Despite these struggles, Miller maintained a perspective of gratitude for his career earnings from fighting in the UFC for nearly 20 years.
He told MMA Junkie, "I see some of the situations that some of the other patients are in, and their parents are in, and I'd rather bring light to them and help them."
"Everybody always wants more, you know? But listen, I'm in a good place with that, and a better place than some of the people that I've met along the way here," he said. "So the health issues are a pain in the a-, and I want to help other people with it."
With his son now declared cancer-free, Miller can finally focus on his own return to competition.
"I do not want any more year-long layoffs. Thirteen months is ridiculous," Miller said. "Had the last year not gone the way it went, I could be heading into 49 [fights] right now, so we'll see. There are no guarantees in this game, but I'd definitely like to get to it."
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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 4:33 PM.