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Marwan Rahiki | Another Speed Runner Has Arrived
Undefeated Contender Series Grad Marwan Rahiki Talks Rapid Ascent, Clash With Tommy McMillen, Importance Of Staying Active
When Marwan Rahiki made his professional debut at Eternal MMA 82, he was on the card with another notable Australian fighter: Quillan Salkilld. That night would be Salkilld’s last on the regional scene before he earned his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series and began his rapid climb up to No. 6 in the lightweight Meta rankings, making good on his desire to “speed-run” the division, a phrase that has stuck in my head since he said it earlier this year.
Rahiki, who is set to face Tommy McMillen in a main card assignment at Noche UFC, is looking to rapidly climb up the featherweight division himself and give Australian fans another hype train to follow.
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“I think MMA in Australia is going high right now, with the UFC, with more fighters, and this is what we’re doing,” Rahiki said. “This is what we’re taking.”
After a frenetic win over Ananias Mulumba last season in Las Vegas to earn his place on the roster, Rahiki has hit the ground running since touching down on the big stage.
Marwan Rahiki: “I'm Going To Knock Tommy McMillen Out” | Noche UFC
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Marwan Rahiki: “I'm Going To Knock Tommy McMillen Out” | Noche UFC
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Debuting opposite former Cage Warriors champion Harry Hardwick, the Lions Den Academy product battered the Brit to the point that he was unable to continue following the second round as his jaw had been broken. Rahiki was then booked to make a quick turnaround in Perth where he fought newcomer Ollie Schmid after Jack Jenkins was forced to withdraw.
Rahiki dispatched Schmid in less than three minutes, maintaining his unblemished record and 100-percent finishing rate in the process. It was his ninth win since making his pro debut on the aforementioned Eternal MMA show in February 2024 and just three years and three days since he stepped into the cage for his first amateur appearance.
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Now, he’s the man that has been tabbed to share the stage with McMillen this weekend as the 28-year-old American received his wish to compete in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday’s annual card celebrating Mexican independence day.
“It’s better than what I imagined it — just a perfect world for me right now and I’m grateful. It’s great,” Rahiki said. “I definitely feel it’s a special moment, and the UFC giving me an opportunity like this — there are so many featherweights, and they could have given it to anyone, for me, it’s perfect… The way I see things going on and what I wanna do in this sport, a thing like this lines it up very perfectly.”
Marwan Rahiki Gets The Job Done In Round One | UFC Perth
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Marwan Rahiki Gets The Job Done In Round One | UFC Perth
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McMillen, like Rahiki, raced out of the chute to earn a pair of stoppage wins and Performance Bonuses in addition to a ton of attention on social media. As a result, the initial buildup to the September 12 clash has largely centered on McMillen, whose connection to “Suga” Sean O’Malley brought him attention straight out of the gate. After winning a gruelling battle with David Mgoyan last summer, the Tim Welch-trained prospect posted stoppage wins over Manolo Zecchini and Alberto Montes in consecutive main card starts, receiving heaps of praise from the UFC broadcast team while being positioned as “The Next Big Thing” in the division.
MORE: Tommy McMillen Is Turning Doubters Into Believers
“(The UFC) know the business, you know what I mean?” Rahiki said with a laugh. “There is no one else that knows the business better than them, and they know what they did, they know what they’re making, and I’m confident this is gonna be my moment.”
Each of Rahiki’s wins have come on the main card as well, but the Moroccan-born finisher hasn’t received a modicum of the attention that has been directed McMillen’s way — at least not from North American media and audiences — but he’s ready to remedy that on Saturday by handing “Gun” his first loss.
“It’s a great fight, and I’m grateful I get an opponent like this, to be honest,” Rahiki said. “He’s saying my last opponent was some bum, short notice, but come on. My second fight was supposed to be Jack Jenkins, 4-2 in the UFC, and he’s a great fighter. We don’t pick the fights. The UFC picks the fights, same as this one, and we take what we get, and what do you think I’m gonna do, say ‘No?’”
Rahiki shook his head and laughed, adding, “I wanna be paid. They could bring Godzilla in on short notice; I don’t care.”
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The intriguing matchup has been heating up during fight week with McMillen using a portion of his time at Media Day to discuss an interaction between he and Rahiki in the host hotel, but the brash and confident American spun a different tale of how things went than Rahiki did.
“We were just leaving the hotel, and we met downstairs in the lobby. He was coming out of the lift, and he was just — he got shocked. I think he got shocked with how big I am compared to the other guys he’s been fighting,” Rahiki began. “He was just looking, and I walked up to him, and I said, ‘What’s up?’ and he looked so different to what he acts like in social media and all the talk.
“I said, ‘Really? Is that it? All the talk where you said you’d fight me in a carpark and all of this?’”
Rahiki laughed and shook his head again, amused by how things played out.
“I said it yesterday too in another interview that he would not do that,” he said. “I proved myself right today.”
The surging 24-year-old is keen to prove that he’s the undefeated featherweight that everyone should be paying close attention to not only this weekend, but going forward as well.
“I think people already know. The real people know,” he said. “The fans? They’re gonna enjoy. It’s better when you don’t know and then you’ll be surprised and enjoy it more… If you’re expecting it, imagining how it goes, and that’s how it goes, you’re gonna be like (shrugs).”
And if everything goes according to plan, this won’t be the last time you see “Freaky” fight this year. He has his eyes on Madison Square Garden in November as well as the year-end numbered event in Las Vegas should he take care of business in Arizona.
“We’re gonna see, we’re gonna feel — I don’t want to go (injured), but definitely we’re looking to get in there as quick as possible,” he said. “Things go right, no injuries, no problems, we’ll be back soon… I know people wanna see it, people enjoy it. It’s good to keep myself active, and people seeing my face all the time, getting the recognition. There is nothing better than that.”
Maybe one thing: speed-running the featherweight division.
Noche UFC: Silva vs Delgado took place live from Desert Diamond Arena In Glendale, Arizona on September 12, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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