Nicco Montaño became the inaugural UFC women’s flyweight champion at The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale.
The title fight took place on December 1, 2017, at Park Theater in Paradise, Nevada. Montaño was originally expected to face Sijara Eubanks in the season’s tournament final, but Eubanks was ruled medically ineligible after a serious problem during her weight cut. Roxanne Modafferi replaced her on the day of the weigh-ins.
Montaño defeated Modafferi by unanimous decision to claim the newly created 125-pound championship. That makes Montaño the first champion in the division’s UFC history, not merely the winner of a later title vacancy. Valentina Shevchenko eventually became a dominant champion in the division, but she was not the inaugural titleholder.
The bout also carried unusual context because Montaño had entered the finale as the less celebrated finalist after Eubanks’s withdrawal. Her victory established the first name in the UFC women’s flyweight record book, while the event’s circumstances made the title’s origin especially memorable.