Tommy McMillen Knew he Had to “Outdog” His Opponent to get DWCS Victory

UFC newcomer Tommy McMillen has spoken about how he had to dig deep in order to defeat David Mgoyan in his Contender Series triumph last week.

When it comes to prospects, especially out of Arizona, Tommy McMillen is up there with the best of them. As part of the Red Hawk Academy alongside Tim Welch and Sean O’Malley, he’s been making his way up through the ranks in a notable way over the course of the last few years.

Now, Tommy McMillen is part of the UFC family, and he’s ready to prove that he can go all the way. When faced with adversity against Mgoyan, he knew he had to show what he was capable of – and that’s exactly what he did.

Tommy McMillen discusses DWCS win

“I got caught with a spinning back elbow. I didn’t realize what it was in the fight until watching it back… that rocked me. And from then on out, you know, after that happened, I was recovering that whole first round. So, I didn’t have my feet under me at all the rest of the first round, a minute and a half in after getting cracked by that. 

“So, I’m obviously not able to perform the way I want to. So I’m more into survival mode, just trying to get through the round, not get finished. You know, I can hear Tim yelling, but I’m rocked. You know, it’s—you’re seeing a little doubles. Your balance isn’t there. You don’t really have much on your punches. So, I was just in straight survival mode in that first round trying to get through it.”

“I just knew that, to outdog this kid for the next two rounds, I’m going to really have to dig deep, and that’s what I did… Once you’re in front of Dana White, bro, I don’t care who you are if at 145 pounds, like you can get it.”