5 fighters who could end 2018 with a UFC title and 5 who won't

Won’t end 2018 with a title: Nicco Montano

Nicco Montano will find it difficult to hold onto her title in 2018

When the UFC announced that they were adding a Women’s Flyweight division in 2017 and would crown the first champion via a season of The Ultimate Fighter, doubts set in right away in terms of whether the best fighter in the division would actually win the title. That seems unfair, but realistically, the best fighter doesn’t always win TUF – it’s more about being able to mentally cope with a lot of weight cuts and various fights in a short period of time.

So when Nicco Montano – seeded as #14 at the beginning of the Ultimate Fighter tournament – won the inaugural title by beating Roxanne Modafferi – herself a late replacement – it always felt likely that her reign would be a short one. Montano’s first title defense has yet to be announced, but the likelihood is that it might come against Sijara Eubanks, her originally scheduled opponent in the TUF finals.

Montano could well get past Eubanks, who was herself only ranked #12 in the tournament, but can we really expect her to get past someone like Valentina Shevchenko? Or Jennifer Maia, who is currently ranked #1 in the world at 125lbs? I think it’s doubtful, and so there’s basically no way that Montano ends the year with the UFC title around her waist.