Valentina Shevchenko responds to Nicco Montano’s Instagram post that referred to her as a “lying bully.”
Former UFC women’s flyweight champion Nicco Montano was greatly upset by the company’s decision to strip her of the title. In a lengthy Instagram post, the TUF 26 alum also directed her attention to Valentina Shevchenko, whom she called out for being a “lying bully.”
“I had asked for a fight in October knowing this and had some legit people on my side also asking on my behalf, however the matchmaker and whoever else only gave me the September date to choose from. So with no other choice and with the internet backing a lying bully (Valentina), I was forced to accept the date or have the threat to get stripped anyway,” an excerpt from Montano’s post reads.
On Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour, Shevchenko simply scoffed at Montano’s post.
“It makes me laugh so hard,” Shevchenko told Luke Thomas (via MMA Fighting). “It’s the most funny post I’ve ever heard in all my life. Now she has all the time to speak, so now she can post everything that she wants, everything that she wants to create, like to invent everything, but her actions show the same.”
Montano was pulled out of her scheduled maiden title defense against Shevchenko at UFC 228 in Dallas over the weekend due to complications from a bad weight cut. For Shevchenko, the fact that the former champion was unable to make weight speaks volumes.
“She had enough time to prepare for the fight. She was the only one who was responsible for the weight cut,” Shevchenko said. “She knows her body, how it reacts, and she has to be able to make it earlier, to start her weight cut. Not coming for the fight week 20 pounds over.”
“It’s crazy, even for the boys — they’re cutting much more than girls — it’s crazy to come 20 pounds over for the fight week. You have to start your diet earlier and be professional. You have to be responsible about what you have in your hands. But this is total irresponsibility, total unprofessional things from her.”
“Why was she signed for the UFC? To fight. To make fights happen,” she added. “To be responsible. To be healthy for the fight. To do her main job. Did she do it? No. Did she do her main job? Did she fight with me? No. She didn’t do it. So what is she now talking about?”
Shevchenko is still slated to fight for the vacant title some time within the year.