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Tommy McMillen offers to be backup for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev title fight, ‘dust any of those boys’ at UFC 333

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Tommy McMillen offers to be backup for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev title fight, ‘dust any of those boys’ at UFC 333

Tommy McMillen is so confident he'll take care of business on Saturday that he's offering his services to be the backup fighter in the upcoming featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev.

McMillen is set to face fellow undefeated prospect Marwan Rahiki in the highly-anticipated featured bout of Noche UFC this weekend in Glendale, Ariz.

A month ago, McMillen made headlines for a clip that surfaced during an interview with Full Send's Steiny, saying he would defeat Volkanovski. “Gun†clarified what happened in that moment, but is still quite confident he'd defeat the current champion.

“Yeah, first of all, that was a clip taken a little bit out of context,†McMillen told MMA Fighting. “Don't get me wrong. The first question I got asked that day was – this kid Steiny, he wanted to do some questions like that, like who would I match up with – and he wanted to know, he asked who is of the GOATs right now at 145. I said the GOAT at 145 does have to be Volk. He's earned his spot as a GOAT.

“But Steinie then asked after that, after I mentioned Volk, if the money was right because he just wanted to see where my mentality is at, he's like, ‘Would you fight Volk?' And I'm like, of course, bro. You don't get to the UFC and do the things I'm doing and not just be down to fight anybody for the right amount of money. So, 100 percent. But then the question on top of that was like, do I think I could win? And yes, 100 percent.â€

Volkanovski is set to face Evloev in his next title defense at UFC 333 — which takes place Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi. “The Great†successfully defended his belt earlier this year with a lopsided decision win against Diego Lopes in their rematch. Evloev earned his shot with a decision win over Lerone Murphy at UFC London in March.

McMillen, who is 2-0 with two bonus-earning finishes this year, believes his size and style would be a handful for anybody — including Volkanovski and Evloev.

“I don't think there's a guy in this world at 145 pounds I can't beat,†McMillen explains. “And that's where my confidence comes from. I truly believe I can beat anybody at 145 pounds. I know I have the tools to. I'm 6'6, 220 pounds. Like 6'6, 220. I'm a f*cking big 45er. So I have that in my arsenal, and then you add the fact that I've been wrestling my whole life.I can stop people's wrestling if I need to. And then just my love for fighting and be able to fight with anybody.

“Hell yeah, bro. I think I have the tools to fight anybody in this world at 145 pounds.â€

McMillen faces Rahiki, who is also 2-0 with a pair of stoppage wins in his octagon tenure. The 9-0 fighter enters as a slight underdog against McMillen in a fight that has garnered extra interest over the past few weeks.

The 28-year-old McMillen believes his performance will be so impressive that he's offering to step in for either Volkanovski or Evloev — who McMillen is not overly impressed with.

“If the UFC hit me up and they need a backup for that fight, Volk and whatever the other f*ck, dude – the other dude's so boring, let's be real,†McMillen said. “Nobody wants to see him win. F*ck wrestlers, dude. You got to want to go out there and lay on people. I could do that, too. I could have done that in all my last fights.

“I could go out there and lay on these guys and f*cking be a Khamzat and just do all that. That shit's boring, bro. No one wants to do that. So let's hope Volk wins. But like,100 percent, UFC wants to pay me and be like, ‘Yo, Tommy, come be the backup for this fight.' F*cking send me, bro. I'll pull up there like a bag of f*cking Cheez-Its and dust any one of them boys, bro.â€

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Jean Silva thinks Movsar Evloev will dethrone Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 333

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Jean Silva thinks Movsar Evloev will dethrone Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 333

UFC featherweight contender Jean Silva has backed Movsar Evloev to dethrone Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC 333 main event.

At UFC 333, Movsar Evloev will finally get the opportunity he has been waiting for when he challenges Alexander Volkanovski, one of the greatest featherweights of all time, for the title.

RELATED: Movsar Evloev issues a warning to Alexander Volkanovski heading into UFC 333

A lot of fans and pundits believe Movsar Evloev stands a real chance of beating ‘The Great'. He certainly isn't the most exciting fighter on the roster, but when it comes to championship bouts at this level, all that matters is getting the job done.

In a recent interview, Jean Silva, who faces Jose Delgado in the main event of Noche UFC this weekend, had the following to say about Movsar Evloev's chances.

Silva backs Movsar Evloev at UFC 333

“Is there someone else to fight instead of me?†Silva told MMA Fighting. “Then I'm next.â€

“I think Evloev wins,†Silva said. “It'll be me and him. But if Evloev pulls out, then it's me and Volkanovski [at UFC 333]. It doesn't matter. I'm next.â€

“He's (Volkanovski) not 100 percent in everything, but what he does is absurd,†Silva said. “He sticks to a strategy, sticks to the game plan. He knows how to fight, he knows what needs to be done, and he has knockout power. Evloev doesn't have knockout power. The first hand that gets in, he's going down.â€

Quotes via MMA Fighting

Movsar may not be the most exciting fighter in the world, but he definitely has a solid chance of becoming the new champion at 145 pounds when you consider his style and his unbeaten run in the promotion.

Who are you backing for success in the UFC 333 main event? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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Dana White claims Ilia Topuria is 'ready' to fight after UFC Freedom 250 defeat

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Dana White claims Ilia Topuria is 'ready' to fight after UFC Freedom 250 defeat

UFC boss Dana White has claimed that Ilia Topuria is ready to fight, just months on from his devastating loss at UFC Freedom 250.

Earlier this summer, Ilia Topuria suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Justin Gaethje. He lost the UFC lightweight championship, he lost his undefeated record in mixed martial arts, and many believe he lost a lot of his aura.

RELATED: Justin Gaethje vs Ilia Topuria rematch could be ‘disaster' for UFC, says Eddie Alvarez

Now, though, Ilia Topuria could be shaping up for an immediate rematch against the champion, and even if that doesn't happen, there are a few other interesting ideas out there – including a grudge match against Paddy Pimblett.

In a recent interview, Dana White had the following to say about Ilia Topuria's future.

White's big claim about Ilia Topuria

“Topuria's ready to fight,†White said Wednesday on The Jim Rome Show. “We're ready for him.â€

“Both sound good to me (Gaethje rematch or Pimblett),†White said. “They're both great. We don't lose with either one of those fights. They're both great fights. I don't know. Listen, anything I say on this show, there's going to be 100 of these goofy Instagram guys like, ‘Dana White just announced Paddy Pimblett.' They're both great. We don't have anything set. … I don't really have the answer to that question (of who Topuria is fighting). Obviously the rematch with Gaethje is incredible. And a Paddy Pimblett fight is amazing. As bad as those two hate each other.â€

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Regardless of which fight comes to fruition, there's no denying that things are really starting to heat up at the top of the lightweight division – and Topuria is a huge part of the conversation.

Which fight would you rather see out of the two presented? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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Justin Gaethje vs Ilia Topuria rematch could be 'disaster' for UFC, says Eddie Alvarez

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Justin Gaethje vs Ilia Topuria rematch could be 'disaster' for UFC, says Eddie Alvarez

MMA legend Eddie Alvarez has said that he believes Justin Gaethje vs Ilia Topuria 2 could turn out to be a disaster for the UFC.

Ever since Ilia Topuria's loss to Justin Gaethje, many have been wondering what's next for him. An immediate rematch seemed out of the question given the beating he took, but recent reports are suggesting that this is exactly the direction the UFC is heading in.

RELATED: Justin Gaethje doubts Arman Tsarukyan injured his back prior to nixed 2025 title shot: “He wasn't gonna make weightâ€

For Gaethje, this won't be too much of a concern given how the first fight played out, but it's certainly a risk when you consider that Topuria did have him hurt on a few occasions.

In a recent interview, Eddie Alvarez, a former foe of Justin Gaethje, had the following to say about the idea.

Alvarez's view on Justin Gaethje vs Ilia Topuria 2

“No (there shouldn't be a rematch),†Alvarez told MMA Junkie. “He beat the sh*t out of him. If someone beats the sh*t out of you, you don't get a rematch. It needs to be close. He beat the sh*t out of him. You don't get a rematch. You have to at least fight another guy. That was bad. I could see the UFC wanting to crown Topuria. They want that whole market. The guy's a big deal and he makes a lot of money and he can make a lot of money for the company. But it could be a disaster for the UFC. Giving him that other shot, Justin and Trevor (Wittman) kind of got his number, and he's not just going to go in and forget about what just happened.

“His brain is still going to suffer a form of PTSD where it's not going to be able to go. There's going to be a governor on certain things like, ‘Woah, wait a minute.' He's not going to be that same exact Ilia Topuria he was before Justin beat the sh*t out of him. I think he needs to take on a lesser opponent, build up that confidence again and come back and renew his faith in what he can do. Don't just go away. Even if he thinks, ‘I'm over that.' Your brain is still heavily on that especially considering the amount of damage.â€

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Do you agree with Eddie? Let us know in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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