Ideally, Sijara Eubanks would have fought Nicco Montano for the inaugural women’s flyweight crown at “The Ultimate Fighter 26” finale.
Instead, a disastrous weight cut hospitalized Eubanks one day before the bout, and she was replaced by Roxanne Modafferi. Montano then went on to claim 125-pound gold with a five-round verdict over “The Happy Warrior” this past December.
Eubanks was seeded 12th out of 16 fighters in the house, while Montano was No. 14, and both bested more experienced and celebrated opponents to make it to the finale. However, Eubanks’ Octagon debut won’t come until Friday, when she faces Lauren Murphy in a preliminary flyweight contest at UFC Fight Night 131 in Utica, N.Y.
Meanwhile, Montano hasn’t defended her belt since winning it at the “TUF 26” finale. She initially targeted a summer return after rehabbing an injured foot that plagued her even before the clash with Modafferi. However, a rumored UFC on Fox 30 date with Valentina Shevchenko on July 28 fell by the wayside after Montano underwent a tonsillectomy.
Other than an angry Instagram post directed at MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani for claiming the UFC was losing patience with its new champion, Montano has been relatively quiet. While the injuries have been legitimate, Eubanks believes her “TUF 26” castmate could have been doing more to promote herself during her time on the sideline.
“In the house Nicco was a nice girl. I didn’t really talk to her much. She was on the other team. Since she’s won the belt she’s been pretty quiet,” Eubanks told Sherdog.com “I don’t think she’s done much as champion. I really don’t she’s done much. She said she’s injured, she’s got a lot of stuff going on. At the same time, injuries happen in this sport. I don’t think she’s really done what she’s had to do to keep herself relevant. It’s a brand new division. You won ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’
“I probably would have done things different. I would have at least tried to stay relevant other ways. If you can’t fight, do some interviews, make some appearances, come to some fights. Do something. Just to keep her name a little bit more relevant,” Eubanks continued. “Let people know, ‘I’m here and I’m the champ and things don’t change just because I’m not well right now.’ I think the perception is that she’s kind of ducking and hiding and not really doing much. I don’t know what the truth is and what’s going on.”
Whenever Montano is ready to return, Shevchenko remains the likely opponent. With that in mind, Eubanks doesn’t envision a lengthy time atop the flyweight mountain for Montano.
“As far as whether or not she’s gonna be a long-reigning champ, I don’t think so,” Eubanks said. “Because I know Valentina has got her in her sights and I don’t see Nicco beating Valentina. And I’m champing at the bit. I’m right behind both of them. I don’t think Nicco’s gonna spend much time there because one of us is gonna take her out.”