Miletich, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion back in the days when there were only two weight classes, runs the world-class Miletich Fighting Systems camp in Bettendorf, Iowa, the home of UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes and UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia.
So when the "Croatian Sensation" steps back into the ring to face Renzo Gracie on an International Fight League show at the Mark of the Quad in Moline, Ill. on Saturday, it might seem like he never left.
"I took a year off to heal up some injuries," said Miletich, who was born and raised in Bettendorf. "But since then, you have to remember, I'm sparring with Matt Hughes, I'm sparring with Tim, with Spencer Fisher, you name it. I'm going all out with some of the top guys in the business. So it isn't like I've been sitting around doing nothing."
The MFS gym's rise to its status as one of the world's top stables originally came out of a selfish desire borne when Miletich's career started hitting stride in the mid-1990s. "My career was starting to pick up," said Miletich, whose uncle Johnny boxed on the 1932 Olympic team in Los Angeles. "And I wanted to make sure I had top guys in to work with if I was going to stay at my peak. Things kind of took off from there."
Miletich won what was then the UFC lightweight title — the same 170 lb. belt that is now called the welterweight crown held by Hughes — with a decision victory over Mikey Burnett on Oct. 16, 1998. Miletich successfully defended his title four times before losing to Carlos Newton in 2001, a record of success topped only by Hughes and Tito Ortiz.
By the time Miletich lost, though, MFS had already been established as one of the nation's top camps, and just six months after Newton became champion, he dropped the title to Hughes.
"After we were up and running a couple years, basically we had people beating down the door trying to get in," he said. "I wound things down in part to take care of the gym."
Those knocking on the door included Sylvia, who moved to Iowa from Maine in 2000 with little more than raw potential, and was moulded into a world champion.
"Honestly, when Tim first came in here, I didn't know if he was going to make it," said Miletich. "He was tripping over himself, he didn't even know how to jump rope. Tim's best attribute is that he never stops pushing himself. He believes in himself. He wants it more than anyone else. He's a model for anyone who wants to compete in this sport for what you can achieve if you put your mind to it."
Sylvia doesn't dispute his coach's analysis. "We work harder than anyone else," Sylvia said. "We've had people come in and watch our workouts and they're amazed at how hard we go. We're a team here and if you can't go, we're not going to let you drag us down."
Miletich attributes this mentality to the college wrestling background many of the athletes bring to Bettendorf, in a region in which the sport has a rich tradition and major NCAA meets fill large arenas.
"We're more of a team than in most places," said Miletich. "This is the heartland, this is the home of wrestling, a lot of these guys come from high school or college wrestling backgrounds where they're used to sacrificing for each other and pushing each other. When it gets cold and the snow comes down here, there's no mountains to ski down, there's nowhere to go, so you go to the gym and beat each other up."
The MFS crew will have a chance to prove their mettle on Saturday, as Miletich's Quad City Silverbacks (Bart Palaszewki, Rory Markham, Ryan McGivern, Mike Ciesnolevicz, Ben Rothwell), host Gracie's New York Pit Bulls in Moline, Ill. with Miletich vs. Gracie the main attraction.
"The IFL is getting it done right," said Miletich. "They've put their money where their mouth is. I've been in this business a long time and the IFL is as business-like as anyone I've ever been involved with. We'll be fighting in front of our home fans on Saturday we're all pumped. Renzo is going to get punished."
Or, if you don't believe that, take the word of one of his star pupils. "Pat's been waiting a long time for this," said Hughes. "The whole gym is working together (Hughes and Pulver both compete at UFC 63 the same evening) and everyone is ready to go. Pat matches up real well with Gracie, Renzo's style plays well with Pat's strengths and I think Pat's going to take him out."
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