Nicco Montano vs. Valentina Shevchenko Scrapped as UFC 228 Co-Main Event

The second title fight scheduled for UFC 228 between women’s flyweight champion Nicco Montano and Valentina Shevchenko has been scrapped from the card just 24 hours away from the event.

Montano was taken to the hospital on Friday morning and her bout with Shevchenko was cancelled as a result.

“As a precautionary measure, UFC flyweight Nicco Montaño was transported to a medical facility Friday morning due to health concerns,” UFC officials confirmed on Friday in a statement.

“The scheduled flyweight championship bout between Montaño and Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 228 has been cancelled.”

While there’s no official word about Montano’s hospitalization, it appears she fell ill during her weight cut to get down to 125 pounds for her first title defense.

Montano won the flyweight championship last year after competing on “The Ultimate Fighter” but she was dealing with a foot injury afterwards that kept her sidelines for most of 2018. Montano was also dealing with a sickness that ended with having her tonsils taken out earlier this year.

Now Montano will have to wait before making her return to action after being hospitalized on Friday morning.

As for Shevchenko, she was also pulled from the card with no replacement opponent facing her on a day’s notice. The former bantamweight title contender has been anxiously awaiting Montano’s return but now she will have to wait even longer after the fight at UFC 228 was cancelled.