Tommy McMillen Faces Marwan Rahiki at Noche UFC With 11-0 Record on the Line

Q: After a heated hotel brawl required security intervention, which undefeated featherweight will let emotions dictate their high-stakes showdown?

Tommy McMillen appears more likely to let emotion drive the fight. The pre-fight tension has centered heavily on McMillen’s own words and behavior after the hotel confrontation with Marwan Rahiki. McMillen described getting “right in his face,” pushing Rahiki, and said security had to break it up. He also framed the hostility as genuine, saying it was “not an act” and that he would fight Rahiki “in a parking lot.” That language suggests he is embracing the personal animosity rather than distancing himself from it. Rahiki has clearly engaged in the rivalry too, and video from the fighter-hotel incident shows both men trading insults and shoves before teams and UFC security separated them. But the available reporting gives far more detail about McMillen escalating and publicly owning the emotional edge of the feud. That does not necessarily mean emotion will hurt McMillen. His rise has been built on aggression paired with discipline, and his camp insists the flashy persona is backed by serious preparation. Still, if the question is which undefeated featherweight seems most willing to let feelings shape the showdown, the evidence points to McMillen more than Rahiki. The stakes make that especially important. Both featherweights are unbeaten, both have finished their UFC opponents, and this matchup could launch the winner toward ranked contention. If either man loses composure, it could be the difference between a breakout performance and a stalled climb.

3 articles · Updated · CBS Sports · Sep 10

Saturday’s featured Noche UFC bout in Glendale pits featherweight prospect Tommy "Gun" McMillen, 11-0, against unbeaten knockout artist Marwan Rahiki, 9-0, with McMillen entering as a slight betting favorite.
Two months after finishing Alberto Montes, McMillen arrives with momentum after landing a UFC-record 252 significant strikes in a three-round fight and cashing $100,000 bonuses in both Octagon wins.
A win would push the 28-year-old from fast-rising prospect toward contention at 145 pounds just five months into his UFC career, while a loss would fuel critics who see his pressure-heavy style as unsustainable.
Phoenix-based McMillen has built his profile around all-action fights and a brash persona, but coaches Sean O’Malley and Tim Welch say his rise also reflects years of discipline, business savvy and obsessive training.
The Rahiki matchup now serves as McMillen’s clearest test yet of whether his breakout start can translate into lasting UFC stardom.