Dan Miller Drops to Welterweight, Meets Ricardo Funch at UFC on FX in Atlantic City

Ricardo Funch (Josh Hedges/UFC)

Miller, Funch battle on June 22 FX card

Longtime middleweight Dan Miller will drop to welterweight and will face fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Ricardo Funch in June.

UFC officials announced the fight booking between the two, saying verbal agreements are in place for them to meet at UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida. That event will take place June 22 in Atlantic City. And though a venue hasn’t been announced yet by the UFC, reports indicate the targeted location is the new oceanside Revel resort, which will officially open just a month before the UFC rolls into town.

The main event for UFC on FX 4 will be a lightweight contenders bout between two-time title challenger Gray Maynard and Clay Guida.

Miller (13-6, 1 NC, 5-5 UFC) started his UFC career 3-0, but then ran into a murderer’s row of tough opponents, dropping three straight unanimous decisions to Chael Sonnen, Demian Maia and Michael Bisping in a yearlong stretch between May 2009 and May 2010. He got back on track with wins over John Salter Joe Doerksen.

But in 2011, Miller ran into former middleweight title challenger Nate Marquardt at UFC 128 in Newark, N.J., taking the fight on just a week’s notice for Yoshihiro Akiyama. He lost by unanimous decision. And at UFC 134, he went three rounds with Brazilian favorite Rousimar Palhares, but lost a lopsided unanimous decision.

Miller is a member of AMA Fight Club in New Jersey, making the bout in Atlantic City his second for the UFC in his home state. Miller is the older brother of UFC lightweight contender Jim Miller, who faces Nate Diaz in May, also in New Jersey.

Funch (8-3, 0-3 UFC) will be looking for his much-needed first win in the UFC as his second stint with the promotion continues. Funch dropped back-to-back fights after starting his career 7-0 to get a call from the promotion. He lost a unanimous decision to Johny Hendricks at UFC 107, then was submitted by Claude Patrick at UFC 115 in June 2010. After being released, he picked up a win outside the organization, then got a call to return for UFC 142 in his home country of Brazil. But he lost with a quick first-round TKO to Mike Pyle.

UFC on FX 4 will be the UFC’s first show in Atlantic City since UFC 53 in June 2005. The event will be the UFC’s seventh in Atlantic City, a city known for hosting major boxing events. The first three took place at the Trump Taj Mahal, followed by three at the Boardwalk Hall.