See if you can follow me on this one...

It would certainly be a letdown for Dan Miller if Demian Maia got injured and backed out of their scheduled fight at UFC 109... But, the letdown wouldn't last long if former middleweight champion Rich Franklin stepped in to take Maia's place?

Stay with me...

How upset would Dan be again if "Ace" also backed out, leaving the UFC in a scramble to find a quality opponent at the last second?

If you catch my drift, then you might understand the harsh reality for Dan's younger brother leading up to UFC 108.

Jim Miller went from facing Tyson Griffin, to Sean Sherk, to Duane Ludwig in the matter of six days and didn't even bat an eye. With only two weeks to prepare, he picked up the victory over Ludwig by locking in a vicious arm bar, forcing the tap at 2:31 of the first round.

At this point, it would be safe to say that Jim Miller is the real deal. It would also be safe to say that Jim isn't the only one in the family out to make a statement in the UFC.

The elder Miller finds himself on the verge of a breakout holding victories over Rob Kimmons, Matt Horwich, and Jake Rosholt. However, if that breakout is to occur, it won't come easy as Demian Maia has no intentions of backing out of this one.

I recently caught up with Dan to see if the "MMA gods" have a bone to pick with him on the way to UFC 109.

FiveKnuckles.com: (Jokingly) Dan, after seeing what your brother had to go through leading up to his fight at UFC 108, are you still on schedule to face Demian Maia next month?

Dan Miller: (Laughs) I hope so. As far as I know, the fight's still on.

FiveKnuckles.com: Was that a crazy situation with Jim or what? Going from fighting Tyson Griffin, to Sean Sherk, to Duane Ludwig all in a six day time frame?

Dan Miller: That's a tough spot for any fighter to be in. We all felt Tyson Griffin was the right opponent for him so losing that opportunity was upsetting. Jim has nothing but respect for Tyson and he's always wanted to fight him. Besides that, it's something that everyone was talking about. It's a fight that people wanted to see.

FiveKnuckles.com: One excellent opponent backing out is one thing, but two is another story?

Dan Miller: Well, picking up [Sean] Sherk as a replacement made the pill easier to swallow because he wants to fight the toughest fighters out there. Either one of those fights would've been a great chance for Jim to prove himself so it's a shame they both fell through. Duane [Ludwig] is certainly a tough guy, but the notoriety just wasn't there and that took a little excitement away from the situation. Duane had nothing to lose by taking the fight so that put Jim in a bit of a predicament. He could've complained and lost focus, but he didn't. He went out there and took care of business.

FiveKnuckles.com: That win was certainly impressive and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before he gets his big fight.

Make sure to check back with us the day of the event for free, live, round-by-round coverage of UFC 109 right here at FiveKnuckles.com! Join expert analyst Mike Williams as he takes you through the entire fight card blow-by-blow and then keep it right here for all the post-fight news and notes you can handle!