UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Nicco Montano has been transported to a local hospital in Dallas, Texas just hours before the UFC 228 weigh-ins were set to commence and her title defense against Valentina Shevchenko has been pulled from the card. Ariel Helwani of ESPN was the first to report the news.
It is unknown yet as to what exactly is the medical condition that got Montano yanked from the card or whether it was weight cut related.
The UFC issued the following statement on the matter:
As a precautionary measure, UFC flyweight Nicco Montaño was transported to a medical facility Friday morning due to health concerns.
The scheduled flyweight championship bout between Montaño and Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 228 has been cancelled.
UFC 228 takes place at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX on Saturday night live on Pay-Per-View at 10pm/7pm ETPT. Tyron Woodley takes on Darren Till with his welterweight championship on the line in the main event.
Shevchenko has also been pulled from the card, as there was not enough time for UFC officials to find her a suitable opponent to compete against. There is no word yet as to which fight will get promoted from the preliminary card to replace the now canned title bout.
A short time after this article was published, a training partner of Montano's by the name of Steve Hanna issued the following statement to MMA Fighting:
“She will be fine in a few days. The UFC medical team was called in to evaluate her this morning during the process of her weight cut. They determined that she had to cease cutting weight and be transported to and treated at the local hospital for issues regarding her kidney function.”
UFC 228 takes place on Saturday, September 8 from the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas with Tyron Woodley and Darren Till headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
