To many in the Mountain community he’s a home-grown guy, but when he
steps into a cage he’s known as Trigger.

Zac Miller, 22, is undefeated as an amateur cage fighter, having prevailed in
his first three bouts for the Team Quest Fight Club.

“I’m the youngest of four brothers and kept getting in trouble as a kid,” Miller
said. “But I finally found something I could focus on. I transitioned from a
street fighter to a martial artist. Now, I have nothing to prove (outside the
cage). I’m really proud of that.”

The transition wasn’t an easy one for a kid who grew up on the Mountain,
from pre-school through Welches schools to graduating from Sandy High.
“I remember showing up at home with a black eye, and facing my mom,” he
said. “That wasn’t easy at all.”

His mom, Connie Miller, remembers Zac’s run-ins.

“He’d come home after a scrape,” she said. “It was difficult. He is so sweet,
and he was the youngest. I think he had things to prove. Also, he was always
trying to settle things, standing up for his friends.”

After Zac graduated high school Connie went to him and said “I just want you
to be happy. Find something to make yourself happy.”

Months later, Zac found that something.

“He came to me and said ‘I want to fight,’” Connie said. “My response was ‘Oh
no, no, that’s not what I meant.’”

Connie was slowly won over when Zac emptied out the garage in the Zigzag
home, got some mats from Debbie Borge (vice-principal of Welches schools),
got a punching bag and started training every day.

“He trained all summer,’ Connie said. “When his first fight came up, I didn’t
want to go. But I went. It was terrifying. It was the most difficult thing I had
ever done with any of my children. Fortunately, it was real quick.”

Thirty seconds into the first round, in July of 2008 at the Roseland Theater in
Portland, Zac took out Tristan (the Creeper) John in 30 seconds of the second
round.

“I got him in a choke hold and he submitted,” Zac said with the nonchalance
that stands in stark contrast to his cage persona.

Fight No. 2, in January of this year, was even quicker. A rear naked choke
hold in 45 seconds of the first round saw Chris (Bricks) Warden submit to the
Trigger.

A guillotine hold on Hamsa Salim March 6 in 25 seconds of the first round
wrapped up the third fight for the undefeated Mountain fighter.

The nickname, Trigger, comes from the dual revolvers he has tattooed on his
lower front abdomen.

“It also fits my style,” Zac said. “I come out quick. I don’t mess around feeling
out my opponent.”

A large contingent from the Mountain accompanies him to his fights, and that
includes his mom.

“She’s now my No. 1 fan,” Zac said. “Besides Nick (26, older brother), she’s
the loudest one in the crowd.”

“He’s right,” Connie said. “I’m the loudest one there. He comes out like Killer
Miller. When he lands a kick I yell ‘Kick him again.’ But it’s a sport and I look
at it that way. All his brothers were athletes as well. I’m very proud of him.”
The announcers have taken to the fans that show up for Zac’s fights.

“They always mention the Mountain crowd,” Connie said. “They make jokes
about how they do things in Zigzag beside rolling papers.”

Zac’s dreams include turning professional, and admits that promoters have
their eye on him.

“Kevin Keeney (promoter for the professional Full Contact Fighting Federation)
has been a big backer.”

But Zac knows that a pro cage fighter’s career can be a short one due to
injuries, so his dreams go beyond that.

“I want my own gym,” he said. “I love kids and I’ve been around them all my
life (Connie runs a daycare facility). I want to train them. Growing up on the
Mountain there aren’t a lot of things to do when you’re young. I want to keep
them out of trouble. If I had a gym as a kid, I wouldn’t have been in so much
trouble.”

Zac trains at Team Quest in Gresham five days a week and works at the
Resort on the Mountain on weekends.

Undefeated, Trigger is in training, reloading for his next test May 22 at
Roseland.