McMillen (12-0) and Rahiki (9-0) appeared to have serious bad blood
heading into their recent clash in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. The featherweight prospects
delivered a barnburner, going toe-to-toe in a back-and-forth
three-round bout to earn Fight of the Night honors. McMillen, who
won via unanimous decision at
Noche UFC 4, discussed the dynamic between the two after the
fight.

Tommy McMillen describes his post-fight exchange with Marwan
Rahiki at Noche UFC 4

Despite the heated build-up to the bout, Rahiki had nothing but
respect in the immediate aftermath of his first professional loss.
He and McMillen seemingly buried the hatchet after the fight as
they bumped fists and exchanged a few words.

McMillen claims Rahiki looked like he was pleading for a show of
mutual respect. “Gun†obliged, considering it was an exciting
fight. McMillen also explains that even though he beefs with his
opponents in the lead-up to his fights, he takes none of it
seriously.

“He was kind of looking at me, pleading for respect,†McMillen told
Full Send MMA. “I was just like, alright, like that was a pretty
cool fight… F*ck outta here, dude. Cause at the end of the day,
even though I'm talking sh*t to these guys, if you go watch back,
I'm smiling all the time. I'm a gangster, down to fight anybody.
It's all fun and games to me.â€

Zuffa LLC

Ian Machado Garry has gotten plenty of flak for his friendly gestures during the UFC 330 main event, but his coach thinks it's overblown.

Garry challenged Makhachev for the welterweight title in Philadelphia. The August clash marked Makhachev's first title defense at 170 pounds. Garry was able leave marks on Makhachev's face, but the offensive output wasn't enough to break the glass ceiling. The pound-for-pound great dropped Garry in the second round with a head kick, and his control was good enough to secure a unanimous decision victory.

In the aftermath of UFC 330, some fans, experts, and even Dana White have taken Garry to task over being friendly with Makhachev despite being down in the final round. Garry's coach Diego Lima told MMAFighting.com that Garry's gestures shouldn't be put under a microscope.

“I swear I didn't notice it,†Lima said. “And I don't think the hugs influenced anything at all. Him greeting his opponent, honestly… Charles [Oliveira] does that too. Charles hugs everyone when the round ends, when the round starts. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. That didn't change the outcome of the fight. Thank God, Ian is a family man, a respectful guy, extremely polite. If he wants to greet people more, let him greet people more. There's no problem with that.â€

Garry recently called for a title eliminator against surging undefeated contender Michael Morales. There is a strong belief within the MMA community that Carlos Prates will ultimately be Makhachev's next challenger, but nothing has been made official at this time. Makhachev has said he wishes to return before Ramadan, which would mean he'll be back inside the Octagon by Jan. 2027.

Do you think the backlash towards Ian Machado Garry for hugging Islam Makhachev was warranted, or do you believe it was overblown. Be sure to share your opinion in the comments below.

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Real American Freestyle

Arman Tsarukyan believes there is a big risk fighting Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331, and he's taking it as a good or die situation.

Tsarukyan and Ruffy are scheduled to collide on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles. “Batman's†team is under the belief that a lightweight title fight against Justin Gaethje will be granted with a win, but UFC CEO Dana White isn't committing to it just yet. While Tsarukyan thinks a win will bring him closer to the promised man, he feels a defeat could be disastrous.

In a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Tsarukyan said a UFC title fight may never be in the cards for him if he can't get past Ruffy.

“I'm taking Mauricio Ruffy as an opponent for my title fight,†Tsarukyan said. “Every fight for me is important. I give all of myself in [my] training camp. “If I lose this fight, I'm never going to see a title fight. That's why I'm super motivated for this fight, super hungry. I've been working so hard for that moment.â€

While Tsarukyan has long been viewed as the rightful No. 1 contender, his removal from a planned championship fight with Islam Makhachev back in early 2025 led to a dicey relationship with the UFC brass. White also claimed that issues behind the scenes did “Batman†no favors. It appears Tsarukyan's efforts on social media and his willingness to take the Ruffy fight may have helped sway things in his favor.

If Tsarukyan can defeat Ruffy in convincing fashion, it would be difficult to deny him a title fight with Gaethje at some point in 2027. Gaethje is expected to remain sidelined for the rest of 2026 due to hand injuries. What transpires in the 155-pound division in the meanwhile will be interesting to watch.

Do you think Arman Tsarukyan is facing a must-win situation at UFC 331 against Mauricio Ruffy? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM