GLENDALE – Thousands of boos filled Desert Diamond Arena during the first two fights of the UFC Noche main card on Saturday. At least until Alexa Grasso, Tommy McMillen and Brandon Moreno entered the octagon.
While the crowd hadn’t bought into the festivities during the initial fights, three strong performances gave Arizona fans something to cheer about. Grasso shifted the energy, McMillen pushed the volume to another level and Moreno ignited the crowd, making it clear whom the fans had come to see.
The first sign of the changing tone began before Grasso even stepped inside the Octagon. As her music began to play, a roar replaced the boos that had filled Desert Diamond Arena earlier in the night.
Grasso’s walkout was just the beginning. When she scored a knockdown of Manon Fiorot with under a minute left in Round 1, the crowd rose with the punch, sending the loudest reaction of the night to that point.
From her walkout to the final horn, Grasso heard and felt the support from the crowd in Glendale. After the fight, she had nothing but praise for the energy the fans provided.
“It was amazing. I love Noche UFC, I love the crowd and how they give energy,” Grasso said. “They (give) everything, and I value every person that comes here and supports because it means a lot.”
Grasso emerged as the face of women’s Mexican MMA when she became the first Mexican-born UFC woman to win a UFC championship in 2023. She proudly represents her country and is happy with the direction Mexican MMA is going, as well as the celebration of UFC Noche being a yearly event.
“Everything we’re doing is just showing up, and you can see it with this card,” Grasso said. “I thought Noche was just going to be one year, but it kept happening in the next years. I’m so happy that it keeps being a celebration every single year.”
Grasso defeated Fiorot by unanimous decision, and will keep a close eye on the vacant women’s flyweight title fight between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong on Oct. 3 as she could be next in line.
The cheers for Grasso had barely faded before a well-known guitar riff provided the crowd with another reason to get loud. As Mötley Crüe’s “Girls, Girls, Girls” played, McMillen emerged to the loudest reaction of the night.
After a back-and-forth first round, the momentum shifted in favor of McMillen’s opponent, Marwan Rahiki, when he landed a counter left hook that dropped McMillen. Despite being hurt, McMillen got back to his feet and continued throwing punches and finished the round strong.
By the time both fighters got off the stool to start Round 3, the arena was deafening.
Then, McMillen scored a knockdown of his own, and fans shot out of their seats, taking control of the momentum in the fight as well as the arena. McMillen controlled the remainder of the round and got the victory by unanimous decision.
McMillen calls Arizona his second home behind Montana. He lives and trains in Peoria. The reception felt meaningful to McMillen, who has grown accustomed to a different response from the UFC fanbase.
“It’s funny because I’m probably one of the most hated upcoming prospects in the UFC if you look online,” McMillen said. “But when I’m in the arena, there’s not one person not cheering for me. It sounds like everybody’s there for me. That felt so good today.”
In the lead-up to his fight against Rahiki and his last opponent, Alberto Montes, fans questioned whether his nonstop, high-output style could hold up against fighters with knockout power. McMillen has faced such doubt for a long time, but he sees validation for his approach in his training partner, Sean O’Malley.
Even so, he does not expect fans to stop moving the goalposts for his future fights.
“I get to come up under Sean and watch him do his thing,” McMillen said. “Sean is one of the goats of the bantamweight division and the best striker the UFC has ever seen. I still see comments of people saying he’s not that good of a striker. I’ve learned firsthand that Sean has beaten the odds countless times, and I take notes from him on how he doesn’t let it affect him.”
Desert Diamond Arena had already found its voice by the time McMillen left the Octagon. Moreno was ready to test just how loud the crowd could get.
Moreno became the first Mexican-born UFC champion back in 2021 when he defeated Deiveson Figueiredo in Glendale. He was cut from the UFC roster in 2018, so making his way to the top of the flyweight division is a story that has inspired many to never give up on their dreams.
His climb from being released to becoming a champion helped build a connection with fans that was evident Saturday night.
As Moreno’s music played, Mexican flags waved throughout the stands and cheers erupted in the arena. The reception stood in stark contrast to the opening of the card.
Moreno ended up winning by split decision over Joseph Morales, a fight in which Moreno thought the scorecards were closer than they should have been.
“I have really bad experiences with decisions,” Moreno said. “When one of the judges said, ‘29-28 Morales, ’ I was like, ‘What the heck?’ But then I heard the other judges had it 30-27, so I felt more confident. But I was a little scared.”
Once the decision was final and Moreno raised his hand, he turned his attention from the judges to the people who came to support him.
“The only thing I can say is ‘Thank you,’” Moreno said. “All of the people were 100% by my side, screaming my name and showing the Mexican flag around the arena. It was a really special moment to me.”
UFC Noche celebrates Hispanic culture and heritage, and Moreno is no longer carrying that spotlight alone. As more Mexican fighters make their names for themselves in UFC, Moreno is happy to see the attention being shared by his peers.
“Mexico has more faces who can represent the biggest stage around the country,” Moreno said. “Before, it was who can represent this card? Brandon Moreno; it was always Brandon Moreno, and that was extra pressure on me. Now, I’m just enjoying tonight.
“It was Jose Delgado in the main event, Alexa (Grasso) was here, and that was amazing to me. I want to add more to my legacy and give more to Mexican mixed martial arts if I can, and I will.”
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