Tommy McMillen Goes 2-0 in the UFC and Wants Noche in September

July 2026 packed a lot into three Saturdays — three events, 38 fights — and the guy who walked away with the loudest buzz was Tommy McMillen. He put away fellow Contender Series product Alberto Montes with a third-round TKO along the fence, roughly 90 seconds from the final horn, and moved to 2-0 inside the Octagon.

That's two straight bonus-worthy performances, and it's why McMillen is being lined up for a real push at 145 pounds. Montes, who drops to 12-2 (1 KO, 7 SUB), looked set to see the final bell before McMillen ramped up his output and closed the show. Both of McMillen's UFC fights have landed on the main card already, and with ties to Sean O'Malley and a high-volume style, the featherweight ranks now have a new name to track.

McMillen's Case, and the Catch

The physical tools are hard to ignore. He's long and tall for the division, fights at a pace that draws young-Max-Holloway comparisons — minus the polish — and he doesn't mind trading in the pocket. McMillen has said he wants a spot on the Noche UFC card in September, in his adopted home state of Arizona, and that ask doesn't feel like a reach given how he's performed.

The flip side is obvious. Every win from here cranks the spotlight and the expectations, and 145 is one of the deepest divisions in the sport. Pressure makes diamonds, sure, but it also bursts pipes. McMillen still has to prove he's the former.

Submissions of the Month

Paddy Pimblett owned the submission category. Saint Denis shot for a head-outside takedown early, and the Scouser made him pay, locking up a deep D'arce and finishing it just 52 seconds into round one. It wasn't the choke itself so much as how Pimblett sat into it — draping his left leg over the back for extra pressure — that made it stand out.

Valter Walker deserves his own mention. He tapped Thomas Petersen with a calf slicer in Abu Dhabi for his fifth consecutive first-round submission win, only the second calf slicer finish in UFC history. That streak moves him to fourth all-time in heavyweight submission wins and ties Demian Maia for the most consecutive submission finishes of the Modern Era. Royce Gracie's overall record of six is now within reach.

Elsewhere on the July slate, Alessandro Costa submitted Cody Durden in the second round to improve to 17-5, and Abdul Hussein choked out Cody Gibson in the third for his tenth career submission. Plenty of highlight material — but McMillen's the one everyone's watching now.