The UFC knows exactly what it did by opening this Fight Night main
card with this one at 145 pounds. Undefeated Sean O'Malley protégé
McMillen (10-0, 1-0 UFC) knows one speed, and it is ludicrous
speed. He will try to go plaid against Venezuela’s Montes (12-1,
1-0 UFC), who certainly knows his way around the Schwartz and has
some jitz to boot. We solemnly swear that we will not make a
“McMillan & Wife” riff, as referee
Rock Hudson
Nick Berens
takes over. Gloves are not touched before they are traded, as they
nearly came to blows in a staredown before security got between
them.
As most expect, it starts chaotic. McMillen attacks with everything
he has right out of the gate, swinging with punches and kicks
before spinning with a back kick that sends Montes crashing into
the wall. Montes bounces off it, wrapping a kick around the
shoulder but slipping when tossing it. McMillen leaps into his
guard and is held tight. Montes clings to him, so McMillen backs
off and kicks him furiously in the legs like Donald Cerrone against
Myles Jury. Montes works to his feet and loads up on power punches,
but he is beaten to the punch by the unbeaten athlete. Montes
stings his foe with a one-two down the middle, and he rocks
McMillen with two elbows during an exchange. McMillen stands his
ground and fires back, piercing the guard with a one-two that gets
Montes’ attention. Montes wings punches, but it is a jab that sends
McMillen to his seat.
McMillen bounces back up as if he had springs in his shorts and
gets right in front of Montes with fists flying. McMillen draws
Montes into an ill-advised slugfest, as he lands more often and
more powerfully than the Venezuelan in the fierce exchanges.
McMillen puts big power behind two hooks, and Montes backs him off
as Montes complains about an eye poke. “Tommy Gun” does not get
called for a foul, so he boots Montes upside the head and strings a
few punches behind it. Montes wobbles back, and he attacks
recklessly but manages to slap McMillen in the face with a high
kick. McMillen counters and drops him with a flurry of punches, and
he allows Montes to get back up so he can keep trading. McMillen
drives a knee to the sternum and bends Montes over, chasing after
the retreating fighter so he can lay into him. Montes times a
perfect left hand in the midst of a mighty combination from
McMillen, and McMillen drops to a knee and once more gets right
back up. Pointing to the ground, McMillen draws out a wild brawl so
intense that the crowd nearly drowns out the sound of the horn.
Everyone can take a breath. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 McMillen
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 McMillen
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 McMillen

Fans greet the athletes with huge cheers as they start off the
round bombing on one another. In mere seconds, they are going full
blast. McMillen pins Montes against the wall with his speedy
combinations, and he opens up head shots by driving home punches to
the body. When not loading up, McMillen spits out fierce jabs that
snap Montes’ head back repeatedly. Montes answers with a knee to
the jaw, and McMillen absorbs it flush as he takes a quick count of
his teeth. The momentum swings on this one are radical, but
McMillen appears to be gaining the upper hand as Montes is wearing
it. The left hands from McMillen to the body are having a serious
impact, and his long combinations allow him to score three or four
times rather than sneaking one in at the end. Montes’ answers are
largely to go hellbent for leather and swing for the bleachers, and
this works to a degree.
McMillen’s volume is wearing Montes out, whose lumbering blows are
getting far more labored while McMillen is chaining everything
together he can think of. A head kick comes between fistic
fireworks, and Montes is tough as a 10-dollar steak—good luck
trying to find one for two dollars that is not sold from a van in a
closed department store’s parking lot. McMillen begins to drown
Montes with his consistent attacks, with Montes valiantly returning
fire but largely committing to single strikes. When he lands
cleanly, McMillen still feels it, but it is hard to back off a
face-first striker with one punch at a time. McMillen times a spin
kick to the ribs, and Montes grits his teeth and connects cleanly
with hooks. The body work is effective at backing Montes up, who is
under fire and still swinging back every so often. Montes busts
open McMillen’s nose, and they start jawing at one another as the
round ends. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 McMillen
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 McMillen
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 McMillen

Kicks fly from both sides as the final round opens, with McMillen
glad to engage his opponent as he smiles from ear to ear. The body
shots from McMillen take Montes off his feet, and as Montes is on
his back, McMillen beats him down with ground strikes. McMillen
stands up, and Montes motions him to come back down to play in the
guard. McMillen curses at his opponent and shouts that he gets back
up, and Montes does so. McMillen gets right in Montes’ face with
combinations, setting them up with jabs. The volume is stunning
from “Tommy Gun,” unloading a seemingly unending clip of attacks.
The strike totals are off the charts, and the punches and knees to
the body are drawing greater reactions out of Montes every time he
lands. Just when Montes is on the ropes, he catches McMillen with
an uppercut. McMillen has to shake it out and push forward.
McMillen motions to Montes to keep fighting, flipping him the
double bird before battering him with body shots. McMillen sees
what comes his way and counters, paying Montes back as his labored
strikes come back at him. McMillen clobbers Montes, knocking him
against the wall and down to his seat. Through sheer force of will,
Montes returns standing again, but he cannot get McMillen off of
him. Fans are going ballistic as McMillen has his way with his
opponent, teeing off on the Venezuelan. Berens implores Montes to
fight back, and Montes tries with all his might, and although his
spirit is willing, you know what his flesh is.
Montes shoots a feeble takedown, and McMillen stuffs it easily and
backs off to punish Montes a bit more. Montes bounces off the
fencing as he tries to survive, barely on his feet, and Berens is
watching closely. As the machine-like McMillen releases one final
salvo of fists to each and every open target, Berens sees that the
fighting spirit has left Montes eyes and intervenes.
A
wrecked Montes can still hold himself proud for surviving nearly to
the end of what is almost certainly a strike record at 145 pounds
for a three-rounder, and that he was finished while still on his
feet—phrasing. McMillen walks off and struts his stuff, thrilled
with his performance as he requests a homecoming fight in Arizona
for Noche UFC 4. Meanwhile, the early 2000s have called, as
Saliva's "Click Click Boom" booms in the arena after McMillen's
performance.
The Official Result
Tommy McMillen def. Alberto Montes R3 3:29 via TKO (Punches)

With his back against the wall and up a division to featherweight,
“Pretty Ricky” Turcios (12-5, 2-3 UFC) will have his hands full
with Octagon newcomer and anaconda choke aficionado Montes (11-1,
0-0 UFC). Houston’s own Turcios has dropped two of three dating
back to 2022, while his adversary has not lost since 2021. Drawing
the charge will be referee Kerry Hatley, who stands by as the two
clap hands. “Pretty Ricky” bounces on his heels and stomps on the floor while
shouting at his opponent, looking to draw out reactions with loud
feints. Montes ignores them and lets fly a head kick, and Turcios
gathers himself and strings together a combination of low kicks to
punches. Montes opens up with a body kick, and Turcios latches on
and nearly completes the takedown, but gets pushed to the wall as
he defends it. Turcios leans heavily on “The Promise” and knees him
in the ribs, flustering him with the strikes until Montes breaks
off. Montes stalks him down and flicks out a jab, and he guards a
looping right hand and shakes his head at Turcios. Turcios responds
with a low kick and a huge right hand, and his wildness results in
him crashing into the Venezuelan. Montes pushes off and gets bullied by the Houstonian, but he backs
Turcios off and hurts him with a left and a knee to the body.
Turcios steels himself and pushes forward, but he cannot grip hold
of Montes for long. Montes brings up another knee and catches
Turcios with a right hand, and Turcios walks through big punches
and keeps swinging. Montes is the cleaner, more accurate of the
two, but Turcios is a wild man throwing caution to the wind and
hoping something connects. Montes shoves Turcios back, and Turcios
races after him. Montes tees off on Turcios and thwarts a takedown
shot, kneeing Turcios in the gut and framing off to separate.
Turcios absorbs a flush front kick to the stomach when
backpedaling, and Montes fires off a second of the jumping switch
kick variety. Turcios runs away and suddenly stops to sit down on a
right hand, but Montes lands flush to wrap the round. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Montes Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Montes Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Montes

The featherweights touch ‘em up to get going, and Montes picks up
where he left off with accurate combinations and quick head
movement and footwork to protect himself from the furious counters.
Turcios spins with a wheel kick, and Montes easily avoids it and
thumps up Turcios with body shots. Turcios shoots in for a telegraphed takedown, and Montes knows the
moment is his by snatching up a picture-perfect anaconda choke that
wraps his right arm under the chin. Hitting the gator roll to flip
Turcios to his back, Montes completes the submission and Turcios
may already be out. Hatley recognizes that Turcios is
not tapping out, and has very likely gone out of on his shield, and
he steps in. “The Promise” puts himself on the map in his
promotional debut by landing what is becoming his own signature
submission. In his victorious post-fight interview, the suddenly
emotional Montes tells the crowd to reach out to someone if they
are struggling with mental health, as he recently lost a coach that
took their own life.

Alberto Montes

Fight History

Fighter Skills Radar

Key Insights

Striking Profile

Key Insights

Grappling Profile

Key Insights

Conclusions Summary