By traditional standards, veteran UFC lightweight and featherweight Cole Miller might have a disadvantage coming into a short-notice fight with UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn.

An abbreviated training camp might not help Miller (21-9 MMA, 10-7 UFC) when he meets Penn (16-10-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC) next month at UFC 199. But when it comes to the skills, he argues, they’re coming in on equal footing.

That goes especially for the grappling abilities for which Penn is so lauded. The way Miller sees it, when you get down to the knowledge of how to manipulate an opponent’s limbs on the mat, there’s not much difference between them.

“I’m going to give you an honest answer: Anybody with a blue belt level in grappling can submit any other man under the right conditions,” Miller told MMAjunkie Radio.

The tricky part, of course, is the last part of that statement. Great jiu-jitsu fighters set the stage so that the right opportunity never comes for an opponent; the ideal engagement is a series of positional victories that leave increasingly fewer options, like physical chess. Part of what makes Penn so great is his ability to slink his way to an opponent’s back and trap them before applying a choke.

It only seems logical that if Miller wants the best chance to win the fight, which is contested at featherweight and serves on the FOX Sports 1-televised prelims of the June 4 pay-per-view card at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., it’s best he keeps Penn from getting his back. But then again, if he’s coming into the fight with the idea that there’s parity on the mat, maybe that’s not what you focus on.

“We’re going see what round it goes into, or who’s got the best conditioning, and that’s going to make the difference,” Miller said. “But to say that I won’t or can’t submit B.J. is a farce, and to say he can’t do the same thing to me is a farce, too.”

That’s not to say Miller will exactly try to test his mettle against Penn on the ground. He’s not the type of fighter to meet an opponent where they’re historically at their best. But he will be ready if the action goes that way.

“I don’t really have an urge to fight anybody anywhere,” Miller said. “That’s not really how I fight. When they close the door and ask me if I’m ready, I say yeah, and I mean that: I’m ready.

“So if you want to fight on the feet, we’ll fight on the feet. If you want to take it the floor, we can take it to the floor. I don’t try to fight in a certain arena. When you watch me fight, you’ll see that. I’ll fight anywhere it goes.”

The most important part, of course, is that it goes his way.

For more on UFC 199, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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