As the first ever women’s flyweight champion in UFC history, Nicco Montaño is no stranger to making history. And before even defending her championship, she’s already made history again.
Champion Montaño has been installed as a +360 underdog by BetDSI Sportsbook for the UFC 228 flyweight championship bout, while the challenger, Valentina Shevchenko, opens as a -550 favorite. At +360, Montaño opens as the biggest underdog champion in the history of the UFC. Matt Serra holds the record for the largest closing underdog for a champion when he closed at +430 against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 83, and Montaño may very well go on to break that record, too, when UFC 228 rolls around, as many fans and critics are already counting her out. Shevchenko has been vocal about how she believes Montaño has counted herself out, stating that the flyweight champion is afraid of her, hence the delay for this championship bout becoming official.
Still, followers and pundits of the sport alike are well aware that anything can happen, as Matt Serra proved to be placed in the position as champion in the first place prior to becoming the largest closing champion underdog, when he scored what many still consider to be the biggest upset in UFC History when Serra defeated GSP by 1st round TKO. Like Serra, Montaño will enter this bout by way of The Ultimate Fighter, where as a contestant of Season 26, Montano was able to become the inaugural UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion.
Montaño ’s dreams may have come true when she defeated Roxanne Modafferi in the TUF 26 Finale, but Shevchenko is ready to dance all over those dreams and help cash a lot of parlays of betters who are convinced that the young Montaño may be getting fed more than she can chew, belt or no belt.
At UFC 228, Montaño will have a chance to make the other betters who have faith in her a lot of money and, what may be even more sweeter, silence her doubters.
What do you think about the line for this flyweight championship bout? Is it accurate?
