Jim Miller has shared one major secret behind his incredible lengthy MMA career.

Miller, 41, is one of the longest-serving competitors in the UFC, having made his debut for Dana White’s promotion 16 years ago in October 2008.

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He is the only fighter to have competed in UFC 100, UFC 200 and most recently UFC 300, which took place in April this year.

‘A-10’ holds the record for most fights and wins in UFC history with 26 wins in a total of 44 fights.

“I get asked that question by other fighters during fights and by the young guys coming up,” Miller told SiriusXM in November when asked how he keeps up.

“It’s difficult to give a quick answer and I would be wrong if I didn’t say that luck and genetics have helped me, because I have certainly been lucky many times.

“I’m about to hit the gym when we’re done here. I’ve been lucky countless times in the gym where I’ve been very close to probably getting injured and sustaining an injury that could end my career shorten.

“And just come out on the right side.” I feel like I was born to do this kind of thing, but there are quite a few different things that I think have really helped my longevity. And one of them is downsizing.”

Miller has fought some of the biggest stars in MMA history, including Nate Diaz, Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier and Donald Cerrone.

One of the most notable things about his longevity is the Lyme disease he suffered leading up to his 2016 UFC 200 fight, which he won after stopping Japan’s Takanori Gomi in the first round.

Miller wasn’t as successful in his last octagon outing at UFC 300, but still managed to go the distance with fellow MMA veteran Bobby Green, who lost to Paddy Pimblett in his next fight.

“You know, I came from one of the bigger gyms in New Jersey, right?” Miller added, revealing how downsizing the MMA gym where he trained was the key to his success.

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“We had half a dozen UFC fighters at one point when I was training at the other place and we were also dealing with the big problems in the gym.

“Sometimes it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m training for a fight,’ with other guys coming in training for a fight, or guys trying to make their mark and go to the next level.

“And sometimes fighters don’t follow the rules. There are some of those unwritten rules during training. And one of my biggest ones is: if it doesn’t have a pad on it, don’t throw it.

“On training. Like, yeah, we can throw elbows in a fight. But if you’re not wearing elbow pads, you better not throw elbows.

“And if you’re not wearing the knee pads, which cost $35, you shouldn’t be throwing your knees.

“I’m (also) not a big fan of, you know, full sparring, where you throw a lot of spinning things. Because I’ve seen a lot of broken noses on heels and forearms from spinning fists hitting the forearm.

“So I reduced my training group. It cost me some really good training partners. But I feel like it has helped me train better, smarter and safer over the last ten years.”

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Miller’s opponent at UFC 309 is 36-year-old Damon Jackson, who made his debut for White’s promotion in August 2014 and has won six of his 13 fights.

Jackson previously fought current UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, but was knocked out two and a half minutes into the first round during their December 2020 fight.

Jon Jones takes on Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309, while Oliveira takes on the returning Michael Chandler in a five-round co-main event.

UK fans can watch Miller vs Jackson in the preliminary rounds this Sunday from 1am GMT and the main event live from 3am on TNT Sports Box Office.