Nicco Montano calls for UFC title defense against Valentina Shevchenko on September 8th

Seven months after winning the inaugural UFC women’s flyweight title at The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale, Nicco Montano is targeting the first defense of her belt against former bantamweight title challenger, Valentina Shevchenko.

Before defeating Roxanne Modafferi for the 125-pound belt, Montano (4-2) beat all three of her opponents by unanimous decision whilst inside the ‘TUF 26’ house last year. The 29-year-old only made her professional MMA debut in November 2015, and before she was signed to the UFC, she mostly fought for King of the Cage (KOTC).

On Thursday, Montano released the following statement on her Instagram account about a fight with Shevchenko.

Alright, let’s get this show on the road! What you got on your girl, Sept 8th in Vegas, Valentina! Now that I’m finally back to a healthy body I’m ready to go, it was only a matter of time. ......share it, write it down, take a picture... #UFC #mma#champishere #125champ #wmma #fight

In April, Montano underwent surgery for a bacterial infection and had a tonsillectomy. While Montano was out on the sidelines, Shevchenko (15-3) made her flyweight debut when she defeated Priscila Cachoeira in a one-sided beatdown. Before that, “Bullet” suffered a split decision loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 215.

Although it has not yet been made official, September 8th is the date that UFC 228 is being targeted for. No venue or location has been announced for the card.