After a crazy day where she was pulled from UFC 228 after she was rushed to the hospital for kidney function issues, the UFC has made the decision to strip Nicco Montano of the UFC women’s flyweight title.
UFC President Dana White revealed the news in an interview with FOX Sports 1’s Megan Olivi after the UFC 228 ceremonial weigh-ins:
“The belt becomes vacated. So, the title is vacated. Obviously, Shevchenko is dying to fight for this title. So we’re in the process right now of trying to make another fight.”
Montano was supposed to fight top contender Valentina Shevchenko in the co-main event of tomorrow night’s (Sat., September 8, 2018) UFC 228 from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
It was slated to be her first title defense after she won the gold by defeating Roxanne Modafferi at last December’s The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 27 Finale. Montano then spent nine months on the sidelines, reportedly prompting a sense of unease between her and her employers at the UFC.
This appears to have been the last straw. We debated if it was indeed time for the promotion to strip Montano earlier today, and ultimately decided it was. The UFC apparently agreed.
Shevchenko, meanwhile, has long been considered the uncrowned women’s flyweight champion nonetheless. The former women’s bantamweight title contender made her debut int he weight class by decimating Priscila Cachoeira in legitimately one of the most one-sided fights in UFC history earlier this year.
She issued a response to Montano’s withdrawal from the fight by claiming she knew she would pull out all along.
It is unknown who she will fight for the belt, but White claimed the fight will take place “before the end of the year.”
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