Tommy McMillen made a statement in his UFC debut, stopping Manolo Zecchini by first-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 272 at Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
The featherweight bout was halted at 3:57 of Round 1, after referee Herb Dean stepped in when McMillen hurt Zecchini with multiple knees.
McMillen had close support in his corner from friend and training partner Sean O'Malley, and drew big praise on the mic when Michael Bisping said, "I think we've got a new superstar on our hands," during the post-fight interview.
McMillen, now 10-0 in MMA and 1-0 in the UFC, used his moment on the microphone to lay out his intentions and send a pointed message: "I want to stay active," and, "Thank you to everyone who came out and supported me tonight. ... To the non-believers, you all all make me sick to my f*cking stomach."
Zecchini drops to 11-5 in MMA and 0-2 in the UFC with the loss.
