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.”

The post Former UFC Flyweight Champ Nicco Montano Hospitalized After Attack appeared first on Cageside Press.

Montano (4-3), whose ascension to the top of the 125lb weight class was followed almost immediately by her downfall, took to social media to address being cut from the organization she had called home since 2017.

“Down but never out… Seems to be the story of my career. But for better or for worse I’m in the thicc of it and MMA is how I started my personal growth and I will never give up on me,” she wrote in a post to her official Instagram account. “It has brought me the highest of highs and lowest of lows and if it ain’t that, am I really living..?”

“Thicc” of course is the current trendy way to refer to a larger woman, generally considered a compliment. And while Montano may be using the word playfully, her weight issues ended not just her title reign, but her career with the UFC.

Montano captured the inaugural women’s flyweight title after running the gauntlet on The Ultimate Fighter 26 in 2017, which introduced the division to the UFC. Defeating Lauren Murphy, Montana De La Rosa, and Barb Honchak, once considered the best female flyweight in the world, she landed in the finale opposite Sijara Eubanks. But when Eubanks was rendered unable to compete after experiencing kidney failure due to her own weight cut struggles, Montano instead faced pioneer Roxanne Modafferi.

The Arizona-born Montano won a five-round unanimous decision to claim the title. It proved to be her one and only UFC victory.

After being sidelined the better part of a year, Montano was scheduled to face Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 228. She was forced to withdraw from the fight after being hospitalized due to weight cut complications. Montano would later be stripped of her title.

Multiple withdrawals from fights and a USADA suspension for ostarine (a common contaminant in athletic supplements) followed. When Montano finally did get back in the octagon, it was at bantamweight, a bout where she was decisively defeated by Julianna Pena.

That 2019 match-up proved to be the final fight of Montano’s UFC career. More withdrawals, a bout with COVID-19, and another mishap at the scales ahead of last weekend’s UFC Vegas 33, where she came in 7lbs heavy for a bantamweight fight against Wu Yanan, ended her Ultimate Fighting Championship run.

The post Nicco Montano on UFC Release: “I’m in the Thicc of It,” and “Will Never Give Up on Me” appeared first on Cageside Press.

MMA Fighting was first to report that Nicco Montano (6-3) was released from the UFC on Tuesday.

Montano was scheduled to fight Wu Yanan at bantamweight this past weekend at UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Strickland, but the fight was cancelled when she came into the fight seven pounds overweight. The fight being scrapped is something the flyweight has became accustomed to. Montano saw no fewer than nine fights fall through during her Ultimate Fighting Championship run, many due to her withdrawing, or struggling with her weight cut.

Montano was the promotion’s first flyweight champion, winning the title at the finale of The Ulitmate Fighter Season 26. She defeated Roxanne Modafferi and also won Fight of the Night. Unfortunately, she would compete only once more in the ensuing four years, and never defended the flyweight belt.

The Arizona-born fighter was stripped of her title following UFC 228, after being hospitalized due to a bad weight cut ahead of what would have been her first title defense, against Valentina Shevchenko. The former flyweight champion would move up a weight class to bantamweight a year later. During that time, she tested positive for ostarine and was suspended for six months.

In her bantamweight debut, she would lose a unanimous decision to Julianna Pena. That would be her last fight in the promotion as pull-outs and weight cuts haunted the rest of her UFC run.

In total, she would pull out five fights over a two-year span alone, including bouts with Julia Avila, Macy Chiasson, Karol Rosa, and most recently Yanan.

The night of her UFC release, Montano put out an Instagram video captioned, “Rolling with the punches.” Earlier in the week, UFC President Dana White had suggested that MMA “might not be the sport” for the struggling ex-champ.

The post Nicco Montano Released From UFC After Botched Weight Cut appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Friday, during the event’s official weigh-in, a drained looking Montano stepped onto the scale, weighing in at 143lbs on her first and only attempt. That’s 7lbs over the non-title limit for the weight class, and adds to the troubled history the Arizona native has had since winning The Ultimate Fighter 26 in 2017.

Opponent Wu Yanan successfully made weight Friday morning, hitting the scales earlier in the weigh-in window at 135.5lbs.

The bout was later pulled from the weigh-in line-up found on the UFC’s official website, which had previously listed Montano’s weight miss.

Since winning TUF 26 and claiming the flyweight title, Montano has fought just once, at bantamweight, in a losing effort against Julianna Pena. Montano was stripped of her title after failing to defend it, the result of another weight cut gone wrong ahead of a scheduled 2018 fight with Valentina Shevchenko.

Shevchenko would go on the win the vacant championship against Joanna Jedrzejczyk later that year. Montano would return to the octagon in 2019, dropping a unanimous decision to the aforementioned Pena. From there, the ex-champ would see several fights fall through, in part due to COVID-19 issues with both her opponents, and after contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus herself.

Montano also pulled out of a fight against Karol Rosa earlier this year, for undisclosed reasons.

UFC Vegas 33 is set to take place Saturday, July 31 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is headlined by a middleweight bout featuring Uriah Hall and Sean Strickland.

Update, 5:25PM ET: Montano took to social media Friday afternoon to explain what happened.

I also want to say thank you to everyone at the UFC P.I. and Syndicate for believing in me and helping me get to this fight with more love and support than anyone could ask for. I truly felt the best I’ve ever felt going into this fight ❤️ pic.twitter.com/caZBtVUylh

— Nicco Montaño (@NiccoMontano) July 30, 2021

The post UFC Vegas 33: Ex-Flyweight Champ Nicco Montano Badly Blows Weight, Fight Off appeared first on Cageside Press.

Montano (4-3), the former and inaugural UFC flyweight champion who was stripped of her title after struggling to make the 125lb limit, is once again out of a fight. The latest setback comes after Montano was involved in a car accident which in turn saw a neurologist pull her from her bout with Karol Rosa at UFC Vegas 18. Per a report by MMA Fighting, Montano was unable to successfully complete the necessary tests to be cleared to fight — primarily having eye-tracking issues as the result of a concussion.

Milenio, meanwhile, was first to report that Montano has been replaced in the fight by Joselyne Edwards (10-2).

For Montano, who has not fought in well over a year, it’s the most recent in a string of mishaps. After defeating Roxanne Modafferi to claim the flyweight title in December 2017 at The Ultimate Fighter 26 finale, Montano was scheduled to face Valentina Shevchenko later that year. However, after a long wait, the fight fell through at the 11th hour that September, with Montano transported to hospital due to complications from her weight cut.

She has fought just once since. Stripped of her title following the Shevchenko incident, Montano wound up one of four fighters to settle with USADA over low-levels of ostarine found in her system — a common contaminant in athletic supplements. That cost her six months.

The Arizona native returned to action, and to the bantamweight division, in July of 2019, only to lose a unanimous decision against Julianna Pena. More setbacks outside of the cage would follow. Montano was expected to return to action last February, but was forced out of the fight due to injury. An MCL sprain was reportedly the culprit. She was then paired up with Julia Avila in August — but her coach, Syndicate MMA’s John Wood, tested positive for COVID-19. Although the fight was pushed back several weeks, it was cancelled again. This time, Nicco Montano herself had tested positive. While the UFC attempted to book the fight a third time, on October 3, travel restrictions forced Montano out.

Flash forward to 2021. Montano, arguably the UFC’s most unlucky active fighter, is again out of a fight as the result of a car crash. At this point, she has fought just once since winning the UFC flyweight championship in December 2017, and has not entered the octagon in over 18 months.

Rosa vs. Edwards, meanwhile, now goes forward at UFC Vegas 18 (UFC Fight Night 184) on February 6. The card, set to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, is headlined by heavyweights Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov.

The post Following Car Accident, Nicco Montano Pulled from UFC Vegas 18, Replaced by Joselyne Edwards appeared first on Cageside Press.

MyMMANews was first to report that noted MMA coach John Wood, of Syndicate MMA, had tested positive for COVID-19. Wood happens to coach Montano, and out of an abundance of caution, the bout has been moved to September 5.

Montano and Avila were originally scheduled to fight on August 8.

Avila (8-1) in particular has been cursed with fight cancellations. In the past 12 months alone, she saw a pairing with Karol Rosa fall through no fewer than four times. The 32-year old finally got back in the cage last month against Gina Mazany, earning the TKO win in just 22 seconds.

A former Invicta FC standout, Avila has won both her UFC bouts to date. The other win came over former Cage Warriors champ Pannie Kianzad.

Montano (4-3) has the dubious distinction of being one of just two female fighters in UFC history to be stripped of their title. The Arizona native of Navajo descent won the promotion’s flyweight title in December 2017, winning The Ultimate Fighter 26 in the process. That victory came against longtime veteran Roxanne Modafferi.

However, Montano would never defend her belt. After an extended hiatus due to injury she attempted to return at UFC 228 in September 2018. However, Montano was hospitalized due to her weight cut, and unable to face then-challenger Valentina Shevchenko. The result was being stripped of her title and forced up to bantamweight.

Montano debuted there in July 2019, losing a unanimous decision to Julianna Pena.

No main event or official announcement has been made for the UFC’s September 5 date.

The post Following Positive COVID-19 Test by Coach, Nicco Montano vs. Julia Avila Moved to September 5 appeared first on Cageside Press.

First reported by MMAFighting and later corroborated by Julia Avila on social media, “The Raging Panda” is already scheduling her next fight. That’s just days after her second UFC appearance as she is targeting a return against former champion Nicco Montaño on August 8 in the United States.

Only two fights into her UFC career, Avila (8-1) already has the stamp of approval from UFC President Dana White.  Avila started her career primarily on the regional circuit in her home state of Oklahoma and quickly put together a 5-1 record that garnered the attention of the UFC.  She made her debut last year against Pannie Kianzad where she won by unanimous decision.  This year, a fight with Karol Rosa was booked and cancelled four times due to various circumstances before the UFC moved on to book Avila against Gina Mazany last week, where she impressed with a first round stoppage.  Speaking about Avila after the fight, Whie said “She had an incredible performance.  She looked good.  What I told her was: Listen, if you feel good, if you feel okay… let’s turn you right around and fight again.  I love when kids look like that and turn right around.  Her, ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley, these kids that are on fire and have records like that.”

Nicco Montaño (4-3) is looking to rebuild following an unsuccessful return to action last year.  Montaño rose to prominence in 2017 on season 26 of The Ultimate Fighter where she upset several established veterans en route to winning the inaugural women’s flyweight championship in the UFC.  After several months inactivity due to health reasons, Montaño was stripped of the title nine months later.  Montaño returned to action last July after a nearly two year hiatus where she lost by unanimous decision to Julianna Peña.  The former champion was previously scheduled to face Macy Chiasson in February but was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Avila previously defeated Montaño in January of 2017 for the bantamweight title in HD MMA in Oklahoma.  The bout was only the third professional fight of Avila’s career and was Montaño’s last prior to going on The Ultimate Fighter.

At this time no location has been determined as the UFC hopes to return to a larger venue with fans should the opportunity present itself.  However, it is widely expected that the August 8 event will take place at the UFC Apex.  The card is scheduled to be headlined by a heavyweight bout between Derrick Lewis and Alexey Oleinik.

The post UFC: Julia Avila vs. Nicco Montano Rematch Targeted for August 8 appeared first on Cageside Press.

A pair of bouts have been officially announced for the UFC Rio Rancho card. On Tuesday, UFC officials announced that Ultimate Fighter 28 winner Macy Chiasson would face ex-flyweight champion Nicco Montano at the New Mexico event this February. Additionally, light heavyweights Devin Clark and Gadzhimurad Antigulov will appear.

Those fights join previously reported bouts between Ray Borg and Rogerio Bontorin, plus Mara Romero Borella and Montana De La Rosa. The show will be headlined by Jan Blacowicz taking on Corey Anderson.

After winning TUF 28 at featherweight, Chiasson (5-1) moved to bantamweight, and immediately picked up a pair of wins against Gina Mazany and Sarah Moras. She’ll enter UFC Rio Rancho, however, off the first loss of her pro career. That came against Lina Lansberg at UFC Copenhagen in September.

Her opponent, Nicco Montano (4-3) will also be looking to get back in the win column. Montano’s UFC journey also began on The Ultimate Fighter, in her case TUF 26. The season that introduced the women’s flyweight division, Montano went the distance, capturing the belt against Roxanne Modafferi in the show’s finale (Modafferi, it’s worth noting, stepped in short notice in place of Sijara Eubanks).

After winning the title, however, Montano did not compete at flyweight again. A lengthy hiatus ensued, and her return to the cage at UFC 228 in September 2018 was called off after she was rushed to hospital due to illness, believed to be associated with her weight cut.

Montano was then stripped of the belt, and moved up to bantamweight. She faced Julianna Peña at 135lbs this past July, losing the fight by unanimous decision.

Coincidentally, her original TUF 26 Finale opponent, Eubanks, was also forced to move up to bantamweight due to ongoing weight cut struggles.

Devin Clark (10-4), meanwhile, will enter UFC Rio Rancho off a loss to Ryan Spann. He’ll look to bounce back against Antigulov (20–6), who has lost two straight.

UFC Rio Rancho takes place February 15, 2020 at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

The post UFC Rio Rancho: Chiasson vs. Montano, Clark vs. Antigulov Announced appeared first on Cageside Press.

Julianna Pena and Nicco Montano were both coming off long layoffs heading into their bantamweight showdown Saturday at UFC Sacramento. Pena hadn’t fought since January of 2017, when she lost to Valentina Shevchenko in the main event of UFC Denver. Prior to that bout, she was on a four-fight winning streak, which saw the former Ultimate Fighter winner defeat former title challengers Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano.

The last time Nicco Montano fought was also in 2017, however, in December of that year. A win over Roxanne Modafferi made her the first ever UFC flyweight champion. However, she would be stripped of the title in 2018 after she missed weight for her first title defense, against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 228. She would promptly pop for a banned substance after a USADA drug test, and wound up suspended for six months. The positive test was later linked to a contaminated supplement.

All that was in the rear view window Saturday at UFC Sacramento. Montano opened the fight by throwing some leg kicks to get inside; Pena countered with a clean right hand and looked fast on the feet. However, Montano would quickly get the clinch and would be relentless with her pursuit of the takedown. Pena would separate and shoot for a takedown of her own, a takedown that would be reversed by Montano. Montano would then get on top and look for positions of her own, however, Pena would work for an armbar. Montano would escape, and this led to the two getting back to their feet. Montano would keep control however and would drag Pena down to end the round on top.

Round two started as more of the same for Montano, taking down Pena to start. However, they would return to the feet where Pena would use a whizzer to get the fight to the ground and end up on top. Pena would then spend the duration of the round on top in half guard, dropping elbows on top of Montano, which would later open up a cut. Anytime Montano threatened to get to her feet, Pena would counter with a submission, not allowing Montano to get back to her feet for the rest of the round.

😱#UFCSacramento pic.twitter.com/DepjZSKD6j

— UFC (@ufc) July 13, 2019

The two would start the third round throwing some heat. Not for long, as Pena would take the fight to the ground. Pena would spend some time on top throwing short elbows and draining the clock in the process. Montano would use a heel hook to get back to the feet, where Pena would again shoot for a takedown that was reversed — and Montano landed on top. Pena would fight back to her feet where she was throwing some good hooks. In the last ten seconds, Montano would shoot for a takedown, that was countered into a guillotine attempt by Pena. That is where the fight would end.

A fun back and forth fight by both women. Montano looked incredibly strong and dominant in the first round, however, Pena would shake off the octagon rust in the second and third rounds to pick up the victory.

Julianna Pena def. Nicco Montano by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)

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Like it or not, weight-cutting is deeply rooted in mixed martial arts. MMA adopted its weight-cutting from the sport of wrestling, where it is presumed to be very advantageous to be the biggest and strongest in your weight class. Known as the ‘fight before the fight,’ most UFC fighters cut anywhere from 5-25 pounds, with some fighters even in excess of 30 pounds.

Weight-cutting is the ultimate test of discipline and willpower. Many fighters in the sport consider it very unprofessional to miss weight. In this series, we will shine a light on fighters who cut a massive amount of weight, who have missed weight multiple times in the past, who have made weight-class changes, along with how the weight-cut and weigh-in could affect possible upcoming match-ups. Basically, every aspect of weight-cutting and how it affects the fight game in the UFC.

Germaine “The Iron Lady” de Randaime (8-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC)

Featherweight (145lbs.): 1-0, Former Inaugural UFC Featherweight Champion (0 successful defenses)

Bantamweight (135lbs.): 4-1

Germaine de Randaime is a very large woman at 5’10” and possessing a 72.5″ reach. This is massive for the 135-pound division where Germaine spent the majority of her time in the UFC. Germaine moved up to featherweight when the opportunity randomly presented itself, and she was able to squeeze off a controversial win against Holly Holm to capture the first ever Women’s Featherweight title. But, besides this bout that The Iron Lady is the most known for in the UFC, all of her other fights have been at 135. Germaine has looked amazing in the Octagon at this weight class as her dangerous Muay Thai striking is fully on display and her power really puts women in trouble fast.

Josh Emmett (14-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC)

Featherweight (145lbs.): 3-1, missed weight one time

Lightweight (155lbs.): 2-1

Josh Emmett is a very powerful puncher and has always been so, no matter the weight class. That’s just how Emmett is built, like a tank, at 5’7″ and possessing a 70″ reach. Emmett is one of the fan favorites of the UFC because of his very brutal fight style and his heavy reliance on boxing. Emmett always throws bombs and puts on a show. After losing his perfect record in a split decision loss to Des Green in April 2017, Emmett moved down the featherweight and never looked back. Save for a brutal knockout loss to Jeremy Stephens and a weigh-in miss at 148.5-pounds in another bout Emmett has looked phenomenal at featherweight. In his last fight, he absolutely starched UFC staple, Michael Johnson in the third round with an overhand right earlier in March of this year.

https://twitter.com/BrawlUniverse/status/1112163492503662597

Karl “Baby K” Roberson (7-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC)

Middleweight (185lbs.): 2-1

Light Heavyweight (205lbs.): 1-1

Karl Roberson is a promising 28-year-old prospect who is 6’1″ and possesses a 74″ reach. Karl is definitely not a huge light heavyweight but Roberson started off his UFC career by earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. Baby K really impressed when he finished his opponent in the very first round of the 2017 season of DWTNCS. This was at 205, and as soon as Roberson was accepted into the UFC he moved down to the middleweight weight class.

#UFCBrooklyn weigh-in results:
Karl Roberson (@karlbabyk) – 203.8lbs pic.twitter.com/jK0M9rzDSE

— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) January 18, 2019

Nicco Montaño (4-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC)

Flyweight (125lbs.): 1-0, The Ultimate Fighter Season 26 winner, Former Inaugural UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion (0 successful defenses)

Bantamweight (135lbs.): 0-0

Nicco Montaño burst on the scene after she stormed through her season of the Ultimate fighter beating Roxanne Modafferi in the finale to capture the first ever UFC Women’s Flyweight title in early December of 2017. Unfortunately, after this, Nicco would not fight for a while, and when she finally did attempt to defend her title during September of the next year against Valentina Schevchenko, she was hospitalized due to the weight cut. Fans and Valentina immediately jumped on Nicco for ducking the bout and not being serious about wanting to defend her flyweight title. Seeing this, the UFC promptly stripped Nicco of her flyweight belt and she has been forced to move up to the bantamweight division where she is making her debut this Saturday.

"I'm going to be choking back some tears."@NiccoMontano is expecting an emotional walk to the Octagon when she returns to the cage for her first bout since 2017. #UFCSacramento pic.twitter.com/FXnboYCauD

— UFC News (@UFCNews) July 11, 2019

Ryan “The Wizard” Hall (7-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC)

Featherweight (145lbs.): 1-0

Lightweight (155lbs.): 2-0, The Ultimate Fighter Season 22 Winner

Ryan Hall is another Ultimate Fighter winner who is looking like he will have a promising career in the UFC. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu wizard hasn’t been the most active, only taking three fights in about four years. In Ryan Hall’s last time out, he faced the legend, BJ Penn and successfully finished him in the first round with a beautiful heel hook submission. This fight was at lightweight. At 34-years-old, Hall is taking just his second fight in the UFC at featherweight, his first one being against Gray Maynard at the end of 2016.

https://twitter.com/MetricScout/status/1079185123164205057

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