GREAT FALLS — Undefeated UFC fighter Tommy McMillen is preparing for his next fight this Saturday, but the Great Falls native says his hometown remains at the center of his journey.
Montana isn’t known for producing undefeated UFC fighters, but McMillen is preparing for his upcoming fight this Saturday against Marwan Rahiki at Noche UFC at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz.
McMillen was a three-time state wrestler at Great Falls High School, and he’s not worried about what’s coming up.
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"I've been fighting my whole life," McMillen said. "It's just another day in paradise."
He’s also a phenomenal striker, but he gives credit to his parents for putting him into wrestling as a child.
"My parents knew I was going to be a troubled kid, so they put me into wrestling to kind of help guide me a little bit," he said. "I'm very grateful for that."
Growing up in Great Falls helped shape the mentality that has fueled his success inside the octagon.
"I tried to use that wild, crazy side of me that came from being born in Great Falls, Montana, and channel it in the best way I could," McMillen said. "To do something positive with my life."
Now fighting on one of the sport's biggest stages, McMillen hopes other Montana kids can see a path for themselves. He credits fellow Montana MMA standout Sean O'Malley and trainer Tim Welch for showing him what was possible.
"You see one person move away from Montana, you think they're one in a million," McMillen said. "Then you see a kid like me come right behind them, and maybe it's not a one-in-a-million thing. Maybe these kids can do it, too."
He’s known that he wanted to be a fighter since he was a third grader, and for him, it was fighting, or nothing at all.
"I made that choice long ago that it was this or death," he said. "I'm willing to die before I quit and lose."
As he prepares to step back into the octagon, McMillen had one message for fans back home.
"I never left," he said. "Montana will always be home to me. No matter how far I go in this journey, Montana is always No. 1."
