Tommy McMillen sees himself joining pal Sean O’Malley in the championship circle soon.
The recent Contender Series featherweight signing made an impressive UFC debut Saturday, needing less than a round to score a knockout of Manolo Zecchini on the UFC Vegas 115 main card. McMillen improved to 10-0 with the win, with all but one of his pro victories coming by way of knockout or submission.
McMillen has long trained with O’Malley, a former UFC bantamweight champion, and he expects to quickly find the same success.
“I’ve been asked that question a lot, do I have a dream fight, but I just don’t really look at other fighters that much,” McMillen said in a post-fight scrum. “I don’t think there’s anything special about them. I’m just so consumed with doing my own thing. I’m living Player 1 mode in my life and my dream fight is whoever has the f*cking belt when I’m there and ready to get it.
“And I think that’s going to be a lot quicker than most people realize. We’ll be there soon.”
McMillen’s first UFC fight couldn’t have gone better as he not only picked up the victory, but also an extra $100K for winning the evening’s Fight of the Night award.
Despite only turning pro in 2019, McMillen believes fans are already getting behind him and if they want to see him fight more, he’s happy to oblige, no matter the circumstances.
“I’ll fight a motherf*cker in a Taco Bell parking lot for a Beefy Five-Layer Burrito, I really don’t give a f*ck,” McMillen said. “I like to fight, literally, but as you guys can see tonight, the fans I don’t think they’ve ever been that loud in the Apex center when I walked out. People love to come watch me fight. I have a big fanbase. I’m blessed coming up under Sean and Tim and just the authentic fanbase that I’ve built by being myself. My fans like to watch me fight because they know I’m down to die about it.
“I literally fight to give people pure entertainment, like I’m a modern day gladiator and I enjoy this shit. So, 100 percent I would love to fight in the T-Mobile Arena. I love Vegas. I’m a gambler. I’m going to go hit the blackjack table tonight, eat some pizza, hit the clubs, pop some bottles, you know I love Vegas. This is where I’m meant to fight.”
Fortunately for McMillen, the UFC is expected to hold a numbered event during its International Fight Week celebration, which just so happens to take place in Las Vegas in July. With three months to prepare for his next fight, McMillen is targeting a summer return.
“Yeah, that’d be perfect,” McMillen said. “F*ck yeah, put me on that. Let me go dust somebody.”
