Nicco Montano Breaks Her Silence, Blasts 'Egomaniac' Valentina Shevchenko
Nicco Montano has a lot to be angry about right now.
After being taken to the hospital on Friday due to problems with her weight cut in preparation for her fight against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 228, the former "Ultimate Fighter" winner was removed from the card and later that day her flyweight championship was stripped.
Montano, who won the title last December to become the first ever UFC women's flyweight champion, took exception to the decision to strip the belt after she was deemed medically ineligible to compete.
On top of that Montano was fuming over comments made from Shevchenko after their fight fell apart. Shevchenko said she never truly believed that Montano would show up and she more or less intimated cowardice prevented her from competing at UFC 228 as much as anything else.
Late Saturday night after UFC 228 wrapped up, Montano responded with a fiery post that not only explained what happened during her weight but but she offered up more than a few choice words for Shevchenko as well.
Take a look at Montano's full statement below:
"I want to say thank you to all my continued supporters, unfortunately my first time ever missing weight means the loss of my title that I’ve worked my ass off for. And if you ask me is completely uncalled for, there have been plenty other fighters who have not been punished for a lot more, unfortunately I’m not one to be running my mouth so I don’t bring in the big bucks.
I had stopped sweating early, my kidneys shut down, and I had an imbalance of electrolytes, my sodium levels were way too high. When I got to the hospital the doctor had told me that it was the best idea, that if I had waited even 30 minutes longer it could’ve led to cardiac issues. With that said I had no intention to drop out of the fight. I looked good at open workouts. There have been multiple occasions where athletes after the TUF show have been metabolically impaired. It takes a little longer to allow yourself the time to bounce back to your proper weight. In my case it was that with the accumulation of illness and injury.
Recommended Articles
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 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.
This was the only time I signed a contract so the statements that this egomaniac (Valentina) has said are completely false and nowhere near the truth. Her idea of reality is so far fetched so the fact that she trained for me 3 times must mean a couple things, she’s obsessed with me and has too much time on her hands. Not only has she been disrespect and jealous of my efforts and accomplishments also blocking me first on Instagram during her first fight at 125, but the fact that she takes pride in kicking a person while they're going through surgery and having their kidneys shut down truly demonstrates what a martial artist should not be!
I did everything I could to make weight in the amount of time offered to me, I had no choice but to. Luckily I have a documentary being made following this entire process and it will soon be available for everyone to witness themselves.
When you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place you stick up your dukes and get down to it and that’s precisely what I do and will continue to do.
The plan for now is to be able to live a healthy lifestyle for the longevity of my career and livelihood. Until I can confidently adapt my body and walk around at a lighter weight I will keep doing all that I can when it comes to making indigenous lives matter and will not be hushed in terms of the wrong doing that has been established, not only with my people but also with me!
Never have I experienced working with an opponent who is so heartless and disrespectful, you can absolutely guarantee I’m coming back to make my stamp and take back my belt."
From the sound of her response, Montano is mostly focused on getting back to full health after her scary ordeal over the weekend.
Unfortunately it appears Montano will now have to work her way back to title contention as UFC president Dana White has said he plans on matching up a different fighter against Shevchenko to crown a new flyweight champion.
Obviously, Montano was not happy with the way the situation unfolded as well as the way she was treated in the wake of her hospitalization on Friday morning.
As of now, the UFC still hasn't made any official decisions regarding the flyweight championship bout that's expected to take place before the end of the year with Shevchenko taking on a new contender at 125 pounds.
