Ex-UFC women’s flyweight champion Nicco Montano has been hospitalized in Texas following a violent assault.
The fighter, who was released from the promotion earlier this year, recapped the harrowing incident on her Instagram story on Wednesday.
“Tonight Justin Watson stood on my neck and stomped my face in, then kept kicking me and shoving my hair into his fist and the corner of the bed frame,” Montano wrote. “I got away for a second to run down the hall (naked) screaming for my life as he tried to drag me back by my hair. Luckily someone from the hotel heard my screams and came to [my] rescue. I’m stuck in Texas, not knowing where he is and scared.”
A second post then added “I’m in the hospital and I’m soooooo lucky to have the technique and strength that I have to have defended myself.”
Montano’s official Instagram account follows a Justin Watson, however the profile has been made private. The whereabouts of Montano’s assailant are unknown.
The 32-year old Arizona native, who currently trains out of Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas, gave a bit of good news Wednesday afternoon, posting “I’m doing okay everyone. Thanks for the love” in another Instagram Story.
Per Damon Martin of MMA Fighting, citing Montano’s manager Ricky Kottenstette, the fighter was hospitalized but was expected to be released later on Wednesday, after undergoing scans for injuries suffered during the attack.
Story will be updated with additional details as the situation develops.
Update, December 3, 2021: Cageside Press previously reached out to Austin Police Department’s Public Information Officer to confirm the incident. Per the PIO, officers responded to a “Disturbance Urgent” call at the Hotel Indigo at 3:29AM local time on December 1. No arrests have been made. Montano’s alleged attacker, Justin Watson, replied to a post on social media about the incident, saying “Always two sides to a story y’all and trust me Nicco and the rest of the world should probably sober up.”
