{"id":806958,"date":"2026-07-17T22:16:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T22:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/806958\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T22:16:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T22:16:11","slug":"ufc-okc-best-best-lock-mcmillen-vs-montes-ends-inside-distance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/806958\/","title":{"rendered":"UFC OKC best best\/lock: McMillen vs Montes ends inside distance"},"content":{"rendered":"

UFC Oklahoma City<\/a> is less than 24 hours away \u2026<\/p>\n

It all goes down this weekend (Sat., July 18, 2026) inside Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In the main event, former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis, returns to action<\/a> against former Welterweight kingpin, Kamaru Usman, in a fight that has stakes.<\/p>\n

We have a weekly series at MMAmania.com<\/a> called \u201cWeekend Lock,\u201d where we share one bet that we predict will slap in OKC when the chaotic dust settles. We also want to hear what our readers think (that\u2019s you!), so please tell us your most confident UFC Oklahoma City<\/a> betting lock in the comments section below (see full UFC Oklahoma City odds here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Last week\u2019s recap:<\/a> We have now cashed three weeks in a row, as Brandon Royval vs. Lone\u2019er Kavanagh went over 2.5 rounds in an absolute firefight (watch highlights<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s keep rolling below:<\/p>\n

\"LAS<\/a><\/p>\n

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 04: Tommy McMillen poses for a portrait after his victory during the UFC Fight Night event at Meta APEX on April 04, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mike Roach\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

Kicking off the UFC OKC main card is one of the more intriguing fights as Tommy McMillen takes on Alberto Montes in a classic striker-versus-grappler Featherweight showdown.<\/p>\n

This week, I\u2019m locking in McMillen vs. Montes to end inside the distance (-200).<\/p>\n

Everything about this matchup screams violence.<\/p>\n

McMillen has built his career around chaos. He owns a 90 percent finish rate and has gone to the judges just once as a professional, which was on the Contender Series<\/a>, where he received his UFC contract. When he steps into the cage, somebody usually isn\u2019t hearing the final horn.<\/p>\n

His UFC debut only reinforced that reputation.<\/p>\n

But it was entertaining (watch it<\/a>). McMillen throws caution to the wind, willingly enters firefights, and trusts his athleticism and power to bail him out. He\u2019s the type of fighter who would rather trade bombs than manage a safe lead.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth mentioning why he\u2019s probably favored here. McMillen is one of Sean O\u2019Malley\u2019s prized training partners and proteges<\/a>, and the UFC clearly believes he has legitimate upside.<\/p>\n

The problem is that his style invites danger.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where Montes comes in.<\/p>\n

Montes owns a 73 percent finish rate, including seven submission victories, and possesses one of the nastiest front choke games in the division. If McMillen recklessly shoots or leaves his neck exposed during one of his wild scrambles, Montes has the kind of grappling to end the fight instantly.<\/p>\n

Stylistically, this is exactly what bettors want when backing an inside-the-distance prop.<\/p>\n

One man wants to knock your head off.<\/p>\n

The other wants to wrap your neck up.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also legitimate bad blood heading into fight week. The pre-fight trash talk has added real tension to an already volatile stylistic matchup. When emotions run high, patience usually disappears\u2014and that\u2019s exactly what favors an early finish.<\/p>\n

The biggest risk is that both fighters unexpectedly respect each other\u2019s strengths. McMillen could fight more cautiously after his wild UFC debut, while Montes may choose to strike longer before committing to takedowns.<\/p>\n

Still, given the finishing rates, contrasting styles, and genuine hostility between the two, McMillen vs. Montes to end inside the distance (-200) feels like one of the strongest bets on the UFC Oklahoma City card.<\/p>\n

Tommy McMillen via KO\/TKO\/DQ: +300<\/a>
Tommy McMillen via submission: +300<\/a>
Tommy McMillen via decision: +500<\/a>
Alberto Montes via KO\/TKO\/DQ: +650<\/a>
Alberto Montes via submission: +275<\/a>
Alberto Montes via decision: +600<\/a><\/p>\n

To checkout the latest and greatest UFC Oklahoma: \u201cDu Plessis vs. Usman\u201d news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UFC Oklahoma City is less than 24 hours away \u2026 It all goes down this weekend (Sat., July…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":588283,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,786,40762,785,85,1396,179146,19458,19457,7990],"class_list":["post-806958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-fighting","tag-latest-ufc-mma-news","tag-mma","tag-sports","tag-ufc-news","tag-ufc-on-paramount","tag-ufc-odds","tag-ufc-predictions","tag-ufc-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=806958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806958\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/588283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=806958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=806958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=806958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}