A documentary starring inaugural UFC women’s flyweight champion
Nicco
Montano is now available for viewing on multiple platforms.
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The film, which is entitled “Warrior
Spirit,” is directed by Landon Dyksterhouse and focuses on the
dangers of extreme weight cutting in the UFC. The documentary was
featured in a segment on “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.” It was
also an official DOC NYC selection and was recognized as the
ImagineNative “Best Doc Feature.”
“Warrior Spirit” followed Montano as she prepared for her scheduled
title defense against Valentina
Shevchenko at UFC 228. Montano’s difficulty with her weight cut
led to her being hospitalized and as a result, the fight was
canceled and she was stripped of her belt.
The film also examines issues such as fighter pay, insurance and
unionization and includes appearances from Ariel Helwani, Justin
Gaethje, Tim Means and
Dana White. It is available to rent or buy on the following
platforms: iTunes, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Microsoft XBox,
Vimeo, VUDU and YouTube.
Dyksterhouse has previously directed MMA-themed documentaries “The
Proving Grounds,” which examines the success of the camp now known
as Jackson-Wink MMA, and “El Pantera,” which looks at the rise to
prominence of UFC featherweight Yair
Rodriguez.
Montano fought just once in the UFC after winning the flyweight
crown at “The Ultimate Fighter 26” finale in 2017, dropping a
decision to Julianna
Pena in a 135-pound bout in September 2019. Montano was
released by the UFC after missing weight by seven pounds for a
proposed clash with Yanan Wu at
UFC on ESPN 28. Montano only competed in two of her 10 scheduled
bouts over the course of her promotional tenure.