Nicco Montano capped off one of the most incredible runs in UFC history as she went from being the No. 14 seed on The Ultimate Fighter to becoming the first ever UFC women’s flyweight champion with a unanimous decision win over Roxanne Modafferi on Friday night in Las Vegas.
Montano didn’t get handed the title by any stretch of the imagination, however, as Modafferi gave her everything she could handle over five competitive rounds.
The difference came down to Montano’s constant forward pressure, as she was an offensive machine from the start of the fight until the very finish, landing big combinations on the feet and being just as aggressive whenever she got Modafferi down to the ground.
By the end of the fight, Montano was bloodied and bruised but she was also smiling as she was crowned the new flyweight champion, with scores reading 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46.
Much like her run on The Ultimate Fighter this season, Montano was the underdog going into her fight with Modaffer, with 44 percent of fantasy players picking her to win. Still, Montano defied the odds while also earning the players who selected her an extra 190 points thanks to the title fight and because it was also her UFC debut.
In the co-main event, „Sugar“ Sean O’Malley stayed undefeated with a win over Terrion Ware but the youngster had to dig deep to earn that victory after first landing on the UFC radar during his appearance on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. O’Malley was a heavy favorite according to fantasy players with 73 percent selecting him to win, while he also earns an extra 40 points because it was his UFC debut.
As a victim of several heartbreaking split decision losses, Lauren Murphy came out on the winning side in her three-round battle against former Invicta FC champion Barb Honchak in a back and forth war in the women’s flyweight division. Murphy didn’t even know she was fighting Honchak until 24 hours previous, so it stands to reason why only 23 percent of fantasy players picked her to win, but she came through in a big way to get the nod by split deicison.
Gerald Meerschaert survived a scary first round on the ground to return with a thunderous body kick knockout to put away Eric Spicely in a middleweight bout on the main card. Meerschaert was a solid favorite going into the fight with 62 percent of fantasy players picking the Duke Roufus-trained fighter to win.
The main card kicked off with a jaw-dropping submission courtesy of Welsh bantamweight Brett Johns, who needed just 30 seconds to pull off a rare calf-slicer to put away Joe Soto in the first round. Johns was selected by just 30 percent of fantasy players but he got the victory as he moves to 15-0 in his career.
The prelims featured a slew of big finishes capped off by Montana De La Rosa pulling off an impressive armbar submission against former roommate Christina Marks. De La Rosa was a heavy favorite going into the card with 81 percent of fantasy players picking her to win, while she also earned an extra 40 points because it was her UFC debut.
Ryan Janes pulled off the upset of the night with his incredible comeback victory against former Ultimate Fighter winner Andrew Sanchez in a slugfest in the middleweight division. Janes was selected by just 14 percent of players as he entered the contest as a massive underdog, but he found a way to pull out the victory while simultaneously earning the players who picked him a whopping 175 point bonus.
Rachael Ostovich picked up a win in her UFC debut as well after competing on this past season of The Ultimate Fighter as she submitted Karine Gevorgyan with 73 percent of fantasy players selecting her going into the night.
Meanwhile, Shana Dobson looked very impressive with her TKO victory against former housemate Ariel Back with just 39 percent of fantasy players picking her in the fight. Dobson also earned an extra 40 points because it was her official UFC debut.
An upset also kicked off the first fight of the night as 22-year-old prospect Gillian Robertson showcased a great grappling game to put away Emily Whitmire with an armbar submission in their flyweight fight. Robertson was selected by just 32 percent of fantasy players as she starts off her UFC career the right way with a finish in the opening round.
By the end of the night, only four favorites came away victorious, with six underdogs getting wins at The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale.
