It wasn’t just Jai Opetaia or Conor Benn on Zuffa Boxing’s radar. They are just the ones who agreed to sign a promotional deal with them. Jarrell Miller, for one, didn’t like the offer made to him by the Dana White-led new boxing promotion. While speaking to New Betting Offers, the ‘Big Baby’ spilled the beans about Zuffa’s attempt to sign him. 

According to Miller, Zuffa approached him last year after his fight against Michael Hunter fell through. However, he explained that despite multiple rounds of conversation, the offer couldn’t convince him to join Zuffa’s promotional stable.

“I was definitely not excited or intrigued by it at all,” Miller said about the offer, adding how he might have been treated, “‘If you don’t want to take this fight, cool, I’ll get somebody else,’ and they shelve you. The numbers are not that great from the first offer I got. Also, a ton of my friends are in the UFC, and I’ve kind of seen how… they’ve been treated…

“Some of us have been put on work longer than others, taking our licks and our blows, so we want to be compensated right… Compared to what I made in my last two or three fights, it’s about 30-40% lower,” Miller added when asked about how low the offer was. “I feel like they kind of want to lock you down in some ways. 

The UFC is notorious for its low fighter pay, something that has been widely criticized by fans and experts alike. Although Dana White has claimed that fighter pay has increased since they signed the $7.7 billion broadcast deal with Paramount, not everyone is sold on the hike. That’s reflected perfectly in the reactions from UFC fighters when they learned about Zuffa’s signing of Conor Benn, who is reportedly being paid $15 million for one fight.

Anyways, Jarrell Miller is coming off a close split decision win over Kingsley Ibeh in January earlier this year, where his toupee flew off mid-fight. As of the time of writing, there doesn’t appear to be a planned next fight for the heavyweight. And the 37-year-old is operating as a free agent. However, that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t sign with a promotion, given the right offer. 

Jarrell Miller reveals who he would sign with instead

Later in the interview, Miller was asked about who he thinks is the perfect promotional match for him. 

“I’m more inclined to work with Eddie Hearn than anybody else,” Miller said. 

It’s worth noting that Miller was previously signed with Salita Promotions, home to some of the best names in the sport. However, they went their separate ways in May last year. Regardless, Miller added that he is planning a comeback in April in partnership with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. 

“They’re trying to figure out the logistics,” Miller said. “They kind of wanted me to come back on March 15 at first to fight in New York. It couldn’t materialize because I was dealing with something… I think Eddie Hearn and Matchroom are in the frontrunner seat right now. 

As for where he wants to fight next, Miller confidently suggested that Miami, Florida, would be the best destination for him. That’s partly because ‘Big Baby’ expects to take advantage of tax benefits in the state. And the other reason, according to him, is because of large Haitian, Jamaican, Belizean, and Latin communities settled there.

Miller believes his roots as an American-Caribbean fighter will help him resonate with the diverse culture. The heavyweight also had an opponent in mind. 

“The guy I want to fight, Lenier Pero, called me out,” Miller said. 

Lenier Pero is an undefeated Cuban boxer with just 13 fights under his belt. The Cuban native is currently ranked No. 2 by the WBA. And Miller would want nothing more than to put on a show with him. 

Notably, Hearn and Dana White have been at odds with each other since the UFC CEO entered the sport of boxing. Things only escalated when White signed Hearn’s star fighter, Conor Benn, recently. 

That being said, Zuffa Boxing may not have offered Jarrell Miller much money. However, they might not be waxing poetic about Miller’s rejection since Miller himself is not the biggest crowd puller, nor is he even ranked by the four sanctioning bodies in their top 15. But do you think Miller deserved a better offer from the UFC?