Jim Miller isn't in the habit of going 13 months between fights, but the circumstances that kept him sidelined between his last outing at UFC 314 and his fight against Jared Gordon at UFC 328 are heartbreaking.

The 20 year MMA veteran was dealing with the worst injury of his career. Then a far greater crisis rocked his family. His 14 year old son Wyatt was diagnosed with cancer.

Miller Reveals Son's Diagnosis

"I tore one of the muscles off my pelvis and then I sprained my pelvic synthesis, the little piece of cartilage in the front of your pelvis where the bone meets," Miller explained. "It's not supposed to move, at least not in men. I ended up spraining it in February, and I could feel the muscle tear and it's like, 'Okay, it feels like muscle. We'll get over this; I just need a little time.'"

Following his loss to Chase Hooper at UFC 314, the Sparta, New Jersey native recognized the need to really address the issue. As he pressed pause to focus on his own health, his son was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive childhood cancer.

"He had rhabdomyosarcoma. It's a cancer of the soft tissue. His was tucked into his eye socket and sinus area," Miller explained. "We got really lucky with a lot of things. Typically, that type of tumor develops behind the eye, and then it gets bound up in the optic nerve and can cause way more issues, be way more stubborn. 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 already had a heck of a headstart with it."

Wyatt Beats Cancer

Miller posted an emotional video on Instagram last month when Wyatt was given his "no evidence of disease" diagnosis. The father of four opened up about the difficult journey.

"Our biggest goal through the whole thing, besides having our 14 year old beat cancer, was to try and just maintain some regularity to life," Miller said. "There were those moments where we didn't know things and those were the hardest times. When he was dealing with the nausea from the chemo, that was tough. Seeing him banged up and struggling, trying to keep it down and tough it out was hard, but like I said, he's a tough, resilient kid."

Miller took a deep breath, a catch developing in his throat.

"The grace and the willingness to fight it, willingness to go through all the treatment, and his unwillingness to change who he was through it," Miller said. "I've accomplished some things that no other person on Earth has, and the pride that I have for my son for what he did makes anything I've ever done in the Octagon pale in comparison."

Chasing Milestones at UFC 328

As Wyatt's treatment progressed, Miller let the UFC know he was ready to return to action. With the promotion set to return to his home state of New Jersey, it made sense to keep the 58 fight veteran on hold until this weekend.

Miller sits at 46 UFC fights and 27 wins. He is chasing 50 UFC fights and 30 wins.

"It's still there, it's still doable," Miller said. "I do not want any more year long layoffs. Thirteen months is ridiculous. Had the last year not gone the way it went, I could be heading into 49 right now, so we'll see. There are no guarantees in this game, but I'd definitely like to get to it."

Miller vs. Gordon at UFC 328

Miller takes on fellow veteran Jared Gordon at UFC 328 in his native New Jersey. Miller is a +250 betting underdog, but he has pulled off many upsets during his UFC career. He will have a chance against Gordon, especially if he can lock in his patented guillotine choke.

Miller still has the goal of fighting at UFC 400 after previously fighting at UFC 100, UFC 200, and UFC 300. He is the only fighter on the roster to do that. He is a true living legend of MMA and will undoubtedly be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame when it is all said and done. But he is not done just yet.

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