UFC Hall of Famer and former champion Pat Miletich plans to make a return to MMA competition – at 55.
In a fight that has a promotional push that revolves around “skill, age and ideology” differences, Miletich (29-7-2) will face 38-year-old former UFC fighter Mike Jackson (1-2), according to Caged Aggression promoter Mike Goodwin, at a 175-pound contract weight.
After he announced the booking will take place Oct. 14 in Davenport, Iowa, as part of a special two-night event weekend at RiverCenter, Goodwin told MMA Junkie the bout will be a fully sanctioned pro MMA fight with three five-minute rounds with commission approval already acquired. MMA Junkie has reached out to the Iowa Athletic Commission to confirm and is awaiting response.
Although the two once were on good terms – Miletich cornered Jackson against CM Punk in the UFC in 2018 – the relationship since has dissolved into harsh feelings.
In January 2021, Miletich posted photos on social media from Washington D.C. that showed he was in attendance at the protest, at which supporters of then-president Donald Trump attempted to stop the certification by Congress of legally elected president Joe Biden.
Miletich wrote on Facebook he personally “saw zero violence” when he was in attendance, something he reiterated in an Instagram video when he announced he was relieved from LFA commentary duties.
“I just got a call from the folks at the LFA, and they informed me that they were getting a lot of pressure because I was at the Capitol, and I want you guys to know that the people who I walked with at the Capitol, none of them that I know of were involved in any of the violence,” Miletich said in his now-deleted Instagram video.
Jackson posted a story critical of Miletich, in which he called Miletich a “domestic terrorist,” and seemingly caught Miletich’s eye.
Shortly thereafter, LFA released a statement to MMA Junkie that said while Miletich was removed from the promotion’s next event, the organization was investigating the situation.
Around the same time as LFA’s statement, Miletich deleted the Instagram post. Miletich never returned to LFA commentary duties.
Since then, Miletich and Jackson have been public in their desire to fight one another. In December 2022, Jackson unloaded on Miletich in an interview with MMA Junkie.
“I’ve got people like Pat Miletich, this f*cking Nazi piece of sh*t, he’s texting me talking about, ‘This old man will f*ck you up, blah, blah, blah.’ And he’s talking about boxing, kickboxing and MMA,” Jackson said. “I was like, ‘Pat Miletich, please, let’s kickbox, dude.’ ‘Cause I don’t want the motherf*cker to hold me and sh*t in MMA. I don’t want to deal with all that, even though I still (know) I could wash Pat Miletich in MMA. I want to kickbox him so bad. It’s really because he’s just talking sh*t for no reason.”
In early 2023, Miletich said in an interview he agreed to fight Jackson in a kickboxing match, though it never materialized.
Miletich most recently competed in combat sports in July 2020 when he kickboxed former boxing champion Michael Nunn en route to a split decision loss. Miletich hasn’t competed in MMA since December 2008.
Jackson was released from the UFC in January 2023 after a 1-1 stint with one no contest (due to a failed marijuana test against CM Punk). His lone UFC win was a disqualification against Dean Barry.
