Tommy McMillen, the undefeated UFC prospect, was rushed to a hospital on Thursday after being found unresponsive in what is being reported as a suspected overdose. MMANews.com and The Spun both published the news on Nov. 12, and within the hour it was at the top of r/MMA.
That is about all that’s known right now. The early reports use the word suspected, and none of them confirm what happened, what may have been involved or what McMillen’s condition is. Anything past “found unresponsive” and “rushed to the hospital” is speculation at this stage. We’ll update when there’s something verified from his team, the promotion or medical staff.
The context
The Spun lists McMillen at 12-0, a perfect record that has made him one of the names other young fighters bring up when they’re asked who they want next.
That happened as recently as last weekend. At UFC Fight Night 293 (UFC Vegas 124) on Nov. 7 at the Meta APEX, Austin Bashi (15-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) lost his original opponent, Lucas Brennan, and ended up facing Carlos Calderon, who took the fight on four days’ notice. Bashi came in as a heavy favorite and fought like one. He took Calderon’s back and finished him with a rear-naked choke 67 seconds into the first round. The UFC’s own account posted the clip with “HOW FAST WAS THAT?!” in all caps, which was fair.
Afterward, Bashi was asked about his next move and pointed straight at McMillen, MMA Junkie reported. “I’d love to fight that guy. That’s one guy I’d love to fight, for sure,” Bashi said, after acknowledging that McMillen was doing well in the UFC. Bashi also said he wants to fight three or four times a year, the way he did on the regional circuit, and told reporters to just tell him who to fight.
That callout read like the start of a real matchmaking conversation between two young fighters with momentum. It doesn’t matter now, and nobody should be pushing it.
Quick take
This sport is built to move straight to the next booking. Somebody gets hurt, and by Monday the bracket has been redrawn and the replacement is cutting weight. This should not work that way. A 12-0 fighter was found unresponsive five days after another fighter called him out on a live UFC broadcast. The fight-world reaction should be about whether he’s going to be OK, and the gaps in the reporting should stay empty until someone close to McMillen fills them. Bashi will get his next opponent soon enough. The update that matters is about McMillen’s health, and as of Thursday evening, Nov. 12, nobody has publicly given one.
