Nicco Montano is glad she went to the hospital when she did.
The now-former UFC women’s flyweight champion was hospitalized Friday morning due to health concerns, and that led to her title defense against Valentina Shevchenko on Saturday at UFC 228 being cancelled — and her being stripped of the 125-pound belt.
According to a Montano representative, she was dealing with kidney issues, which is seemingly related to a weight cut gone wrong. Montano went to the hospital prior to the UFC 228 official weigh-ins on Friday morning.
Montano provided TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter an update on her health Saturday morning, and according to her, things could have been much worse had she not gone to the hospital when she did.
“I’m doing good,” Montano wrote. “Just keeping an eye on how my kidneys are feeling hour by hour. My sodium level has returned to normal levels so now it’s just a matter of paying attention to any change.
“Docs said if I had waited any longer I could’ve potentially gone into cardiac arrest because my electrolyte imbalance was so extreme, so it was a good thing the UFC docs had me go to the hospital.”
Following a successful stint on The Ultimate Fighter 26, Montano won the inaugural title last December with a decision win over Roxanne Modafferi.
Shevchenko is expected to face an unknown opponent for the vacant title later this year. Because there wasn’t enough time to find a suitable replacement opponent, she was removed from UFC 228, which takes place at American Airlines Center in Dallas and is headlined by Tyron Woodley vs. Darren Till.
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