Amber Miller at UFC 50

 

© Marc Wickert
www.knucklepit.com

All photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC
Photography by Joshua Hedges

 

UFC's longest-serving ring-card girl, Amber Nichole Miller, says 2005 was a very rewarding year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship athletes and for mixed martial arts in general. She believes the public are now embracing MMA and settling for nothing less in combat sports. Now the devilishly nice Amber is also receiving a lot more recognition for her work, mainly due to The Ultimate Fighter program on Spike TV.

Just returned from a well-deserved holiday, Miller says: "I always start the year off snowboarding somewhere new. Last year I went home to Denver, Colorado. This year it was Mount Shafta. My dad lives in Northern California, so I went up there, and I also had snowball fights with my two younger brothers. We had a lot of fun."

Now back in Las Vegas, things are looking very promising for Amber. "This past year was really eventful. TUF has been making UFC so widely popular, and a lot of people are starting to recognise me from the show," says Miss Miller, who is rapidly becoming one of America's most sought after models. Surprisingly, Amber's resolution each year used to be to make herself more known to magazines, so as to further her professional career. Today it's the big-name publications that are pursuing Amber to grace their pages.

As well as her extensive modelling for UFC and US sporting magazines, Amber has done many billboards for hotel and casino advertisements around Las Vegas, where she is regarded as a local celebrity. She regularly features in publications such as "Las Vegas Life", "VEGAS", "GQ", "Player", and "Maxim". There is also the catalogue work for companies such as TallulahG, Sexy In Miami, Anne Fibion Waterwear, and most recently Venus Swimwear.

Judging by public response, 2006 is expected to be a big year for UFC after the announcement of Liddell vs Couture III as the first UFC for 2006. Miller agrees with this prediction: "Yes, just from ticket sales for that first fight – they literally sold out in one week. Even at the UFC office, none of us could get our families tickets because they were all sold. They sold everything.

"And other spectacular fights are in the works for this year. As a result, I believe that more people are going to understand the true sport of UFC. The dream I had last year for it to be more mainstream is now becoming a reality. Everyone's watching TUF on Spike TV, and for UFC 57 to sell out in just days is like a dream come true. They have not sold like that before."

So, Amber, for the event to sell so quickly, that would have to make it comparable to big rock concerts or to boxing heavyweight titles in the past, wouldn't it?

"Oh, absolutely. And people who love the UFC often complain about boxing today being boring. They may recognise the names of some of the boxers, but the names of UFC athletes are now household names. The average person wouldn't even know who held the titles in boxing these days."

What fights stand out in your mind from '05?

"I'd have to say the Forrest Griffin vs Stephan Bonner fight. I think it will always stand out in everyone's mind."

What did you think of the news that BJ Penn will be coming back to fight in the welterweight division?

"I think it's a really great opportunity for him. I think he's going to have to prove he can be a true sportsman, because before when he left it was under bitter circumstances, and I feel he has to display his sportsmanship as well as his physical accomplishments."

Do you believe this will make things more interesting in that division? Before it looked like being down to Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre.

"Georges is very exciting. And Matt Hughes is always going to be that true champion. Everybody's going to love him. Any time Matt gets in the ring, people are going to be excited. He always puts on a good fight."

In your last interview with knucklepit.com, you said Tito Ortiz was one of your favourite fighters.

"Right."

Are you looking forward to seeing Tito and Ken Shamrock as coaches of the next TUF series?

"Absolutely. It was a really great choice, and will bring more viewers back. It's definitely going to make it an exciting show. I think the idea of Ken fighting any more … After this he will probably consider retiring, just because to have been at the top, and to keep your name at the top…After a while you have to consider when you are done fighting."

Have you been doing any acting work lately?

"The only acting I've done recently was for the Xyience commercial which was a lot of fun. I've been focusing more on modelling because it has become much more lucrative, so I really haven't had time for the acting."

Do you have your own website?

"I do this year. That was a nice addition because when I first started with UFC it wasn't something I thought about. But now with the extra exposure I'm receiving from UFC, I'm getting a lot of fan mail, which makes having my own website worthwhile."

Amber, is there anything you'd like to add?

"I'd like to say hello to the fans. They've been looking me up on the UFC website, and now they're finding me on my site, which is really cool. And they're dropping me lines saying they appreciate all that I do with UFC. I really appreciate them."

For more on Amber Miller: www.ambernichole.com

For more on UFC 57: www.ufc.tv