— Valentina Shevchenko (@BulletValentina) September 7, 2018
Valentina Shevchenko has been left without a fight at UFC 228 when Nicco Montano was hospitalized earlier on Friday morning. The Ultimate Fighting Championship released a statement that the fight was canceled due to health concerns, but Shevchenko seems to not be too concerned with her opponent’s well-being.
In fact, the flyweight No. 1 contender had a expressed that she had a hunch Montano would not make to the fight in Dallas Saturday night.
“I am not surprised about this situation with Nicco,” Shevchenko said. She went on to call her actions “totally unprofessional,” stating that during all the events at fight week Montano seemed fine.
Montano is the inaugural flyweight champion from “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 26, where she won a decision to become the promotion’s first women’s 125-pound queen. However, since winning the title, she has dealt with injury and illness that has kept her out of action. According to Shevchenko, Montano has avoided the fight several times.
Shevchenko thanked fans for their support and is determined to win a title as soon as an opportunity presents itself. As a flyweight, she is undefeated and made her return to the division last February when she submitted Priscilla Cachoeira in round two at UFC Fight Night 125.
Edward Carbajal serves as the lead MMA analyst for Frontproof Media and holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a brown belt in Ishin Ryu Karate. He has covered combat sports since 2014 and has been a fan of MMA since UFC 1. You can follow him on Twitter @Carbazel or at his website TheBlogBoardJungle.com.
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