Nicco Montano will be defending her flyweight championship against Valentina Shevchenko in the co-main event of UFC 228. She will be doing so as the largest champion underdog in the history of the UFC. Montano opened as a +450 underdog, which, for a champion, is large enough, but gamblers have moved the line to now have Nicco Montano currently listed as a whopping +850 underdog, while Shevchenko sits comfortably as a 13 to 1 favorite at -1300. When asked about her thoughts on these odds on an appearance on UFC Tonight, Montano had to be honest…she gets it.
“You know, I kind of see where some people are coming from,” Montano said. “Obviously, this is my second fight in the UFC, so nobody has really gotten to see a lot of what I’m capable of. If they went and did their research and watched my last King of the Cage fights and stuff, then they’d probably have a better grasp of who I am as a fighter. But all they’ve gotten to see is me through the TUF show and last year’s fight with Roxy.”
Even though Nicco Montano has every intention of having her hand raised and shocking the world in the process, she is not motivated by clichés such as, “silencing her critics,” or “proving her doubters all wrong.” No, Montano made it clear that it is something else that drives her.
“That’s not my motivation (silencing the critics),” Montano said. “My motivation is to work off the things that have been working for me so far, and that’s just persevering and don’t let anybody label me. I’m the champion for a reason. I was an underdog through the show, and I came out victorious. So it’s really up to me to fulfill what my potential is and to be the best individual I can be come fight night.”
Do you believe Nicco Montano should feel disrespected by the current betting odds?
