Miller defeats Guillard in main event of UFC-FX 1

Despite a loss that temporarily knocked him from the top of the list of UFC lightweight contenders, Jim Miller never lost confidence in his abilities.

Miller, 28, moved back into the discussion as a title challenger in one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's most competitive weight classes Friday with a first-round submission victory over Melvin Guillard in the main event of UFC on FX 1 at Nashville, Tenn.

"I'm pretty confident that I am the most dangerous lightweight in the world," Miller said after leaving behind the disappointment of his August setback against Ben Henderson.

Guillard looked to be a threat in the early going, dropping Miller with a left hand, then landing several punches and knees as Miller tried to recover.

Miller eventually got to his feet and secured a takedown as Guillard attempted his fourth flying knee of the opening minutes. Guillard tried to power up, but Miller was able to take his back and lock in a rear-naked choke to end the fight at 2:04 of the opening round.

"I don't get knocked down often and he knocked me down. He hits hard," Miller said. "I just found a way to his back. That's something I've always been able to do, and from there it was just about securing the position."

Both fighters were coming off losses that ended lengthy winning streaks. Miller jumps right back into title contention, while Guillard must deal with back-to-back defeats just when it appeared he was finally putting together all of his immense talent.

"I'm just going to go back to the drawing board and work my way back up," Guillard said on the post-fight show. "I don't want anyone to give me anything in this business. I want to earn my way to the top. It's another small setback, but once again it was a fight I was winning."

Josh Neer won his second straight fight in his return to the UFC as he put Duane Ludwig to sleep with a guillotine choke in the first round of a welterweight bout. Also, heavyweight Pat Barry knocked out Christian Morecraft in the first round.

Like Miller, Neer survived some big shots early before choking out Ludwig in the opening round. Neer lost three of four fights before getting released by the organization in 2009. He got the call to return after a great deal of success on the regional circuit and earned a win in October before stepping up in competition to beat Ludwig.

"I feel hungry, energized," Neer said. "Everything's going good right now."

Barry survived several submission attempts by Morecraft before a big left hook floored his larger opponent. Barry followed up and landed several punches on the ground before the fight was stopped.

Only a bantamweight match between Mike Easton and Jared Papazian made it out of the first round on the main card. Easton won a majority decision in a back-and-forth affair contested almost entirely on the feet.

The highlight of the undercard was Jorge Rivera's second-round knockout of Eric Schafer, just hours after Rivera announced he would retire.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.