MMA Fighting - Fighter vs. Writer: Nicco Montano ‘Heartbroken’ Over UFC Release, Addresses Nudity Concerns With New Documentary

Episode Date: November 16, 2021

Former UFC flyweight champion Nicco Montano joins The Fighter vs. The Writer in episode 12 to discuss the arduous journey she’s traveled since becoming the first person to win the 125-pound title back in 2017. Montano will detail the struggles she faced with her weight cuts, including the disastrous attempt to get down to flyweight that ultimately cost her the title for a fight scheduled against Valentina Shevchenko. Montano addresses what led to her missing weight by seven pounds for her most recently scheduled fight as well as her release from the UFC afterwards. Montano will also detail her involvement in a new documentary that was released this year that followed her from the time she became UFC champion to the heartbreaking moment when her title was taken away after she was unable to make weight for her first defense.  All this and much more on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. Follow Nicco Montano @NiccoMontano Follow Damon Martin @DamonMartin Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Support for this show comes from the Audible Original, the downloaded two, ghosts in the machine. The Earth only has a few days left. Rosco Cudulian and the rest of the Phoenix colony have to re-upload their minds into the quantum computer, but a new threat has arisen that could destroy their stored consciousness forever. Listen to Oscar winner Brendan Fraser reprise his role as Rosco Cudulian in this follow-up to the Audible Original Blockbuster. The Downloaded, it's a thought-provoking sci-fi journey where identity, memory, and morality collide. Robert J. Sawyer does it again with this much-anticipated sequel that leaves you asking, What are you willing to lose to save the ones you love?

The Downloaded 2, Ghosts in the Machine. Available now, only from Audible. Support for this show comes from the Audible original, The Downloaded 2. Ghosts in the Machine. The Earth only has a few days left. Rosco Cudullian and the rest of the Phoenix colony have to re-upload their minds into the quantum computer, but a new threat has arisen that could destroy their stored consciousness forever. Listen to Oscar winner Brendan Fraser reprised his role as Rosco Cudulian in this follow-up to the Audible Original Blockbuster, The Downloaded.

It's a thought-provoking sci-fi journey where identity, memory, and morality collide. Robert J. Sawyer does it again with this much-anticipated sequel that leaves you asking, what are you willing to lose to save the ones you love? The downloaded two, ghosts in the machine, available now, only from Audible. Back to the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Back to the Fighter versus the Writer. I am your host, as always, Damon Martin, and today I am so honored to be joined by the first ever UFC Flyweight Champion and a fighter I've talked to a lot over the last few years and I'm so excited to chat with today. Welcome in, Nico Montanio. Nico, welcome in.

How are you? I'm well. How are you doing today? I am fantastic. And Nico, I mentioned before we got started, I think over the last few years, you know, you've probably done more interviews with me than any other outlet, which I'll say I very much appreciate that. But so much has been going on.

And typically the format of this show is we just kind of discuss whatever's going on in in MMA. But you've had so much going on in your life over these last few years. I feel like we just have a lot. a lot to dive into. So let me ask, I don't want to play therapist here, but let me just how are you? How are things? I'm good. You know, there's a lot going on with the utilities business still. My manager and I are in the same. We're partners in it. So we're going to be going to a couple of chapter meetings here on the res this week and start to really get things into, you know, get the motions

rolling. And then other than that, you know, I'm still training here and there during what I can. until I hear word that, you know, I can hop in the cage again, either, you know, under Bellator or whatever, PFL, so. Yeah. Let me first talk about your project. I know we did the story on your passion for the First Nation project, working with utilities. I know that's kind of been a passion of yours for a while.

Now, how is that going? And I know that's kind of like a never-ending battle, really. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like definitely, Navajo Nation is in need of, you know, running water, utilities, Wi-Fi. Like I was saying, I don't remember if I'd mentioned it, but only half of the kids graduated from Chimley, my old high school where my sister graduated. Because during COVID, they weren't able to finish off school in, to be there at school. So they all had to do it online. But most of the people didn't have Wi-Fi.

and if they didn't have Wi-Fi or a hotbox, they didn't have electricity either. So a lot of the kids weren't able to graduate just because of that, you know, just because of the luxuries that a lot of people just take for granted. Yeah, absolutely. Something that, you know, it doesn't get talked about enough.

And it's just awesome that you're doing something with that. But let's backtrack, Niko. Let's let's backtrack a lot I want to touch on today. But let's backtrack first to your last UFC fight because you had gone through a lot leading into that. I say this, you know, I say that there's a, there's an old blue song that says the line, if I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all. And I feel like that's kind of been what's happened to you so much over these last few years,

you know, you get into, you had a car accident, COVID, and all these different things that kind of keep happening to you. So let's start with the last fight that was scheduled to the UFC. It was going to be up a weight class, you know, everything seemed like it was going well. And then, of course, you miss weight. and then you get the release. What can you tell me about that fight week, that weight cut? What was going on that time?

Oh, sorry, there's a B. It was a lot of stress. I was under a lot of stress, but not, you know, it was me trying to kick my metabolism into gear because I'm there doing all the work. I'm eating when I'm supposed to eating and my weight was still just like having a hard time coming off. And so honestly, like those last two weeks

and we could really see it start to come off. And even my strength and conditioning coach at the time was like, it looks like your metabolism is just now kicking in. You know, it was kind of hard because everyone who was like on my side could see that I'm working. And it was just like not not revving. You know, my engine wasn't revving after that concussion because I had to be do nothing for a while.

But then on top of that, you know, the documentary was coming out and it was supposed to be about me being the first Native American champ. And that was supposed to be the subject. but it started to venture off into like anti-UFC and my name is written all over this project and they weren't letting me see the documentary and that last week they're like

we're going to start premiering the film right after your fight and I was like, well, like, can you just send me the link and they didn't send me the link? And so, because they were scared that I was going to show somebody in the UFC but I was just like, well, you can't be like making me, you know, like I still work for these guys and you're making them,

making it seem like my name like I'm okay with you guys just talking bad about them and so that was stressful on its own and then you know I tried to cut weight and that first night it went all well the second day the second morning uh that Thursday morning it just wasn't coming off anymore and there's only so much I could do and missed Wade and then after that you know got let go I was asking if I could do a 145 fight because I could just do that kind of what asked and did I was like well in two weeks of someone needs a 145 or I'm down to do that. And, you know, I was getting told that they're going to let go to the division, shut down the division.

So they're like, no, it's not going to be able to happen. And then, yeah, and then I got like to go from the UFC right there. So let me, let me, because for anyone this question like your work ethic, I know you've been working. Like, you know, I know it's not like you haven't been training. You were out. I know you were out in Vegas training very hard. Because I know we talked after the car accident when you had that fight canceled.

that you were training very hard at that point. So for anyone saying, like, you're just not maintaining your weight or, you know, you're not paying attention to that. Like, I know you were training. I know you were working hard. Was it just a combination of kind of bad timing, the stress, and then your body just kind of shutting down that week? Was that kind of what happened?

Yeah. I mean, I honestly think so because after the fight, you know, I, you know, haven't had that extra stress. And I'm walking around lighter. I feel healthier. My body's like responding a lot better. I'm not being like over excessive about like overeating or under eating because I don't think that was the case. I think it was just like like my hormones were just messed up.

A lot to do with stress. And yeah, I was training the whole time, you know, the whole time I was out in Vegas like we were talking about. I had COVID. My coach had COVID. So I got pulled out of two fights there. Then the concussion. then the passport miscommunication and then this last time around, you know, so it was just, yeah, like you said, a string of bad luck.

And, you know, there's nothing else I could have done better. So it is what it is. And hopefully, you know, I don't think my story is over when it comes to fighting. So I'm still working towards that on my way down to Scottsdale, actually. So I can be in the camp with the fight ready and Henry Sehudo. But it's still a process. Like I said, we're still getting this, the project going right now. I think my body's liking this little break because I'm not getting busted up every single day.

And like I said, I'm walking around a little lighter and, you know, enjoying my time until it's time to roll again. Yeah. Let's talk about the documentary because that was a big subject going into your fight. And I know that was mostly surrounding the original fight that was scheduled with Valentina Chichinko. first title of defense, which of course we all know, you know, the way cut happened, you end up going to the hospital, fight gets canceled, you get stripped of your title. That's the bulk of what this documentary was following. Now, I've seen the documentary.

It's kind of ironic. I've seen it and you haven't, but I have seen the documentary. Now, listen, I'm not going to lie and say it paints the UFC in a great light or the UFCI in a great light or Clinton Wattenberg in a great light. Like these are all things I understand. Like none of that does not make any of them look great in this situation. but take the documentary out of it for a second. How much, again, I'm not trying to make excuses for you, Nico.

I'm just having an honest conversation here. How much do you think your body, like, how much do you think your body took the damage going down to 125 so many times? Like, do you feel like you are truly a flyweight fighter, or was that just you killing your body to be a flyweight fighter? You know, I think I was a 135 or I think just because my body doesn't look like, like, strided. At 135 doesn't mean that I'm not a 135 or I think I'm, you know, I think I'm a 135 or so all these cuts to 125. It was just like every single cut I've made to 125. I've just about like, like just, I don't know, like died about it.

My first fight was with Shauna Dotson and that took forever. That was the hardest weight could I've ever had, barely made that. My next fight was for the King of the Cage title, barely made that had to weigh naked for that. And then I went on the show after that. So it was just one after another on the show. And I was taking a bunch of thermogenics at the time because I wasn't getting tested by you saw it. Because I was just trying to do anything I could at that point. But, you know, all my coaches, they're saying like, oh, you make $1.35 too easily.

You should be a 25er. And unfortunately, that's just the gap in MMA, right? It's just the 10 pounds. It's not like boxing or wrestling where you could jump to another class. That's like just a couple pounds higher or lower. So I honestly, yeah, I definitely think that it did some, it took some toll on my body. And after that, I was getting sick constantly. And then I had to get my tonsils out because my body just couldn't handle the stress anymore.

Or the, the, it wouldn't accept like the caloric deficit that I had to be in an order to make the 125. You know, I just started to get to a point where it was like, it was just bad for my body. My body was starting down. My metabolic weight would start shutting down. I'd start to get like a throat, like a tonsillitis for the longest time. So, I mean, but in hindsight, I won the belt there. I want the King of the Cage belt there. I won UFC belt.

So it's like hard for me to argue against that. I'm not a 125er. I don't know. You know, it's just the way it's written out. Yeah. Well, I mean, I mean, it's like we hear about weight cuts all the time. Like, we've seen this. Like, I think it happened to, you know, Anthony Johnson, you know, when he was cut into

170, he was a monster at Welterweight. but then, you know, he killed his body to do it. And eventually his body just rejected it. Like his body's like, we're not doing this anymore. You're not going to make 170 ever again. And we've seen that with a couple other people as well. And then you had the stress onto that. I mean, you had almost, I think, unfairly treated after you won the title

because you had the foot injury and everyone's like, well, why aren't you defend the title the next day? Like they're like, why aren't you defend the title two weeks later, not figuring in you just went through the entire season and you had an injury coming out of it. So, like, right away, you had this, like, undue pressure of saying, well, when are you going to fight? When are you going to fight? And then on top of that, you deal with the weight. And, again, I think we can't discount the mental factor, right? Like, when you're stressed, when you're not mentally there or you're just stressed out about whatever's going on, your body reacts, right? Like, if you're freaking out about making weight, the brain and your body are going to say, uh-oh, we're not doing this.

So, like, do you feel like that was a big part of it? Just the stress of it all could also play a fact in whether or not your body's going to react to a weight cut. Yeah, you know, like I was, I mean, just like chemically, biologically, it just plays a factor. It plays a toll. And like psychologically, I was, I always liked going to hot yoga. And then I just couldn't not step inside a sauna room for the longest time after that cut or even the hot yoga room. I, like, just couldn't sweat. I'd start to, like, kind of feel, you know, like a little, just anxious.

and then my body just wouldn't sweat for a while and I would just overheat. And so, you know, my body just in itself, it's his own ecosystem and it's trying to like protect itself at all cost at this point. And so me trying to force anything on, you know, trying to force a response from it that it's not willing to do because it's, you know, your organs are going to shut down if you keep doing this to yourself. So, you know, I'm sure it takes, I mean, it takes a lot, like I said, you know, emotionally or mentally, physically, and biologically.

Yeah. Let me ask, because again, the documentary, you know, focuses primarily around that. And I know that there was a segment featured on real sports. And we did a story on it last year because Ramsey Nidjum, there was a big, big section about weight cutting. And we all know the dangers of weight cutting in the sport. I don't think it's any giant secret that that has happened numerous times and people have, you know, people have died from weight cutting.

We can't ignore the seriousness of this subject. I'm curious, setting the documentary aside for a second, just from what I saw and the advice you were getting into PI, and I'm not asking you to say, hey, I hold ill a little against them, but looking back on it now, do you believe you received the right guidance, the right advice from the PI, the right people around you to get you that weight cut, or do you feel like maybe you were being led down the wrong path in terms of what you could do or what your body was capable of doing to get down to 125? Walk me through your feelings on that now, you know, four years after the fact. You know, I think they were doing their job. Clint was a wrestler himself, and he worked with a bunch of wrestlers, and he's a dietitian. So he understands the science behind being in a chloric deficit is going to be, you're going to lose weight because you're not eating X amount of calories and your body's using X amount of calories just on, just like to stay alive, you know, without even working.

out. So I mean, there is a lot of, like the protocol was a lot of like weight cutting to the week during the weight cut. But it's gotten me there before. And so it's just hard though because like not every time it's like science is like statistics and data is going to make sure that it's guaranteed. Because like I said, everybody's, everybody's different. And like my body is different than what it was four years ago. It was different than what it was two years ago. It'll probably be different in the next couple of years and what it is today. So it's hard to just rely on those statistics because it's kind of,

I don't think it's setting me up for failure, but it's like you're, it's just a whole different body and it's a whole different response. So being able to understand that in itself is, is something I think personal instead of just like so cookie cutter. So I don't think that he,

you know, I don't think any of those guys were like leading me down a road of like being sabotaged or anything but I just don't see the guarantee in it and also like the PI is fairly new in the sense that MMA is fairly new so figuring out everything is like we're still the guinea pigs in a lot of trial and error um with the what a whatever PI is doing you know so I think it's just everything just needed to figure itself out and you know I don't think like I I said, I don't think purposely anybody was trying to sabotage anything because, you know, we all want to see fights happen. And it's like, it's just the way it is.

Yeah. Did you work with them again after that fight? Oh, yeah. I worked with them the whole time I was fighting up until this last fight. What in terms of after that situation happened with the title, you lose the title, you're in the hospital. I mean, this is a pretty serious situation. at that point, did you pretty much, did you pretty much having your mind at that point saying 125 just can't happen again?

Like, I can't do this to my body anymore. Yes, yes, no. I mean, like, I mean, at that point, yeah, I did think that. I was in the hospital. You know, everyone was, like, calling me crazy to even think about trying to make it happen again. And sure enough, like, I just spent a couple of days refueling and feeling better. you know it was just my weight everyone's weight rebounds after they make a dress to cut like that and it just was like harder to get back down so i you know had to face the music and be like well i don't know

how long it's going to happen if i do want to cut to 125 i'm going to have to take like a year off and just really really focus in on like my my calories my calorie expenditure my calorie intake or if i just need to give my system a break my nervous system my everything my like if i just to give everything a break or what? And there's like, oh, all these theories in dieting, right? Everyone's like, oh, keto's good. Oh, paleo's good. But you take out carbs and you put back in carbs,

so your body holds on to carbs a lot more. Or it's like, what is it? There's like a reverse dieting too or you just eat whatever your body wants. And then in a couple of months, it kind of resets itself. And then you're back to dieting again because a lot of bodybuilders do that.

So like I did a bunch of research on my own too. And it just, nothing's for sure guaranteed there's not a for sure answer. Yeah. Well, we've seen it too. We've seen some fighters. I mean,

I've talked to a lot of fighters who's just like, yeah, I cut weight like it's nothing. It's like butter. They just don't have a problem with it. And other fighters just getting down two, three pounds kills them. I mean, that's just a reality.

Not everyone's body like you talked about with the whole cookie cutter thing. There's no right or wrong way exactly to cut away. Some people do it very easily. Other people really struggle with it. And it doesn't mean that they're slod They're like in cheeseburgers a week before the fight. Like their body just does not cut weight the same way.

So there's no perfect right or wrong answer, right? Mm-hmm. Yeah, and it's hard to convince people of that because I'm over here investing in my time, my money into these camps that I cannot, I don't get anything from. So, and so I'm over your focus on my next fight and everybody's just thinking I'm sitting around or I don't know what they're thinking. but just because we're not getting the results that, you know, with the effort that I'm putting in doesn't mean that their assumptions are true.

So it takes, yeah, I've had to like learn to know that I don't have to defend myself to like anybody or everybody because it's just, you know, people are going to believe what they're going to believe, but I'm going to just have to keep doing what I'm doing and be honest with myself. Yeah, absolutely. Now, when it comes to the documentary, you know, this is something of, Of course, you know, when you do a documentary like this, you're signing up for it. You know, again, they're not going to follow you around and you're not having permission.

But what is your, now that the documentary is coming out, you're seeing it. And I'll get to a very controversial subject in a second. I don't want to rehash everything you talked about with Misha Tate on her show, which is part of the reason why I want to talk about this. But I'll ask this this is such a broad question. Do you regret doing the documentary the way everything is kind of played out or kind of what are your feelings on this now that it's getting out there and people are asking you about it? I know you haven't seen it. I know there's a lot of back and forth there, and I'm not going to get into the legalities of it all

in terms of, like, the conversation you had with the producer and the director, but, like, do you regret signing on to that documentary now? You know, I hear that it's a great documentary, and it's winning awards and stuff, but just the fact that the documentary talks about Native Americans being exploited and, like, the whole genocide with the government, and then how UFC fighters are exploited by the UFC. I think it's just very hypocritical of them to be saying all this

because I'm definitely being exploited here. I never said it was okay for me to be exposed on film. And when I asked about them taking it down, they just said, oh, I don't know what you're talking about. It's a good film. Everyone loves how impactful it is. And I'm like, okay, you're deflecting. I still don't want to be like exposed on national,

for anyone to see because I'm not getting any royalties I'm not getting any kickbacks from this documentary like nothing so the fact that like I'll say this again I just said this on Misha Tates too but like the fact that everybody was kind of like throwing some bad

like they were just hating on me after I got like OVC right say I'm not doing any effort to make weight and then the people that were still like on my side started to they watched the film and then they're like oh so now you want to stay relevant by getting naked on film and I'm like that's not even how it went down. So it's just like all kinds of hate for no reason. I'm not getting paid from the USC. I'm not getting paid from this film and I just feel like I'm willing to share my story. So I just got to understand that like

the story's going to come out whether or not I say it's okay for someone to share it. So I think at this point, I don't know if I regret doing it, but I definitely just feel like opportunities like this. I need to start taking up because my story's going to be written, like I said, with or without my consent. So I better start saying it for myself. Yeah. I'll tell you this. I've seen the documentary. I actually, for the most part, I think it was a really good job.

And I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't paint the UFC and the PI in a certain light. Because, listen, you know, you, I mean, watching the watching you cut weight for that fight, I was, like, almost in tears for you, Niko. Like, it was just hard to watch. I just felt like they were torturing you in a way. Like, you know, getting you in the sauna and wrapping you in towels. And again, I understand you put yourself there by signing up for the fight. I get all that. But, man, it was just hard to watch.

And again, I'm on the outside looking in thinking, man, like, how much are these people caring for Nico's health and her safety in these moments? So I actually think they did a good job. Now, the one thing I will 100% agree with you on is the nudity thing. I don't think that needs to be there. We've seen a million films, a million documentaries. Just blur it out. Blur it out. You know what I mean?

like that's all you have to do. Blur it out and then we're not even having this conversation. I think that is the bigger conversation here and I think that's the problem. And again, if they clear that part up, would you be, would at least that satisfy at least one issue? Like, I don't know why that has to be. It doesn't need to be in there. It doesn't play any relevant part to the film. You know what I mean? Like, we've seen a million documentaries. They just blur it out.

Like, that's just standard fair, right? Yeah. I totally think so. I think, you know, that was my main concern, and they, you know, they just didn't have any remorse. They're just like, well, you signed off and it's part of the film and it makes it more impactful, but it's also like at my expense. Like, it's still very hypocritical of them to say, to be demonstrating or showing how, like I said, they said the UFC is portrayed and they're okay doing the same thing to me, knowing that I'm not getting paid or any royalties from this. at all. And that's the only I have, you know, it was a documentary of my life and of what I had to say. So I don't really want to take those parts back because it was truthful then.

And I would definitely love to share my story and the native, like my Native American culture, but I would also like to not, you know, give my consent if it's okay for me to be nude on TV. And I just never got that, uh, that chance to even make it. a choice with that. Yeah, no, I totally understand that. Like I said, it's your body, your choice. You show what you want to show, what you don't want to show. In and that's it.

Like, there's no, there's no blurry line here. That's it. You don't, you know what I mean? Take that out, be done with it. Because, again, that's not, that does not impact the story. It does not impact what happened in that way cut. It does not impact what happened. You go into the hospital.

Does not impact any of that. I don't, we don't need it is, I guess my point. There's no middle ground here. Like, well, maybe. No, no. It doesn't. need to be there. There's literally zero point of having it there. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So I don't know why other than to, like, I don't know why,

because I don't want to assume, you know, that they're bad people. Like, I let them follow me around, you know, for a good portion of my career, the most important part of my career. So, you know, I don't know. Yeah. I don't know why, what's going through their head about that. Yeah. Let me, this is, this is a tough one to ask you, because, you know, everything you've gone through from the Ultimate Fighter, I mean, you talk about the highest, the highest and the lowest lows, and I understand that's going to be

athletics, career, things like that, you're going to have those moments. But I remember talking to you right after you won the belt, coming off the Ultimate Fighter, the excitement, the representation, being the first Native American champion, being the first ever flyweight champion, all the things you had. And then, you know, to kind of, you know,

a year later, you know, it's all kind of gone, you know, going to the weight cut, being stripped of the title. And as I said, you've kind of had the worst luck possible with your career. Now, I'm not going to sit here and say, listen, the weight cut things, listen, you take some responsibility for that. I know you do. But like the car accident, you get into a car accident, not your fault, you get a concussion,

you have a car accident, you get COVID. That's the world we're living in right now. It's going to happen. Your coach gets COVID. Same kind of thing. Do you feel like you were treated fairly by the UFC from the day you won the ultimate fighter to the day you're released? feel like you were treated fairly by that organization?

You know, it's hard to say what fair is because, you know, every individual fighter has a different contract. Every individual fighter is ranked differently. So there's not like a normalcy, I suppose, in it. I don't think that us not having insurance is fair in general. There's a couple of things where I think is unfair. but, you know, it's hard for me to say if anything was fair or not fair. Yeah, you know, I don't know.

I don't know because it would be, I'd be saying that coming from an emotional place, opposed to like a logical place, logistical place. So I know that they wanted Jeff Chinko to be the champ, but I also know that they would have wanted a really good fight, and I would have definitely put up a good fight. And I think they, you know, the UFC would know knows that. So it's hard for me. to say anything, you know.

Yeah. Well, in that, in that regard, let me ask that question and just based. And again, this is going back several years, so you've had more than enough time to think about it. Is there any party that feels like, at least in that one respect, that, you know,

even though you had such a tremendous story, such an incredible story, being the first Native American champion, all these kind of things, do you feel like there was some part of the organization that was like rooting for Valentina to become champion? Like, they wanted her to be champion. Yeah, you know,

um, Yeah, yes and no. I mean, everybody likes a good upset story. So I'm sure a good portion of them knew like what Valentina's successes were. And so what she'd bring to MMA. But they also saw, you know, how tough I am and resilient I am. And so they knew that would have been a really good fight. So, you know, now that I've had time to breathe and actually, yeah, take a step back from having the belt and all of that craziness all at once because it was pretty hard. overwhelming and then all of it was gone in like a flash. So now that I'm, you know, totally past

that and I've closed out some chapters in my life when it comes to that, to that area, I think, you know, I think it's a good 50-50. I don't know. I think there's a lot of people who root for Valentina, but I think there's a lot of people who just understand and appreciate the effort of like someone like me who doesn't have kickboxing championships in her background or, you know, anything else to like bring to the table other than just like my willingness to just not give up absolutely um when it comes to the end of your UFC career for now and I say for now because we can't write the book we have no idea what's going to happen a year from now two years from now did you understand your release from the UFC or did you also argue with it but did you like

were you kind of combative about saying hold on now like you know I understand like the weight cut and everything but like did you understand like what was your reaction to the release um you know i was upset but i didn't feel like i had a place to say anything about it um you know i was really heartbroken but i was also going through this thing with the with um the documentary and i just kind of felt like i needed to take care of myself because nobody else everybody who says they're going to help take care of me obviously has a different agenda right and so I need to take care of myself physically, take care of myself mentally so that, you know, whatever, like you said, it's not over yet.

And I definitely don't see it as being over. Whatever, you know, is going to come, I'm going to be ready. Like, 100, like, whatever lessons I'm learning now, I'm going to know, you know, I'm going to know exactly how to avoid them or how to make things better for myself in the future. because I've only been fighting for like a little bit a little amount of time compared to a lot of other fighters and I still have it in me so I know it's not the end of that but you know so this next this next time around I'll definitely won't be so global or manipulative. Yeah. Would you would you ever fight for the UFC again? Yeah, I totally would. You know, like they said they're shutting down. They said they're shutting down the 145 fights but at the division but I see a bunch of 45 fights come in. left and right these days and you know because I'm walking on healthier now I think I do think it's a lot to do with stress I'm back at home with my family you know I'm able to see them

I'm able to work on my project to help my community so I don't feel like people are just taking things left and right like I felt like when I was going through that situation you know I'm able to I'm able to choose that I you know I want to help my community I want to help my family I want to see everybody succeed. And I want to be there right behind them, you know, helping them push them along the way, too, because they were there for me as supporters during my career. And even though things didn't go my way, you know, I still have my community to look over because they're great motivation for me.

Absolutely. So you mentioned what's next for Niko Montanio in terms of your fight career? And you mentioned Bellator PFL possibilities. You mentioned Fedaway. Is that kind of where your head's at right now? Is Fedewa going to be your way? class for now? Is there is there wiggle room saying maybe eventually do bantam weight again? Like where is your head at?

I think for now, 145. I think at 145 for now I can start I can throw like four fights a year and then eventually come back down at 35 but healthily, right? I was talking to Misha Tatech. She said she's walking around at 142 right now. She hasn't been healthier in her life and you know, there's just little tricks and stuff that you're able to do with your body. But you have to be able to like cross everything out so that there's no other noise and you can focus on your priorities, and that's kind of where I'm at right now. So, you know, for now, 145, like I said, it's maybe like this next year or something, sign of four-fight contract somewhere, and 145 is going to be where it's going to be.

And then I think 35, my body's going to eventually get back down there because it's slowly cut down right now, and it's going to be where it's, you know, healthiest. Yeah. And you mentioned a couple different options out there. I mean, Bellator actually has a pretty thriving, you know, 145-pound division. They built a lot around even before Chris Cyborg was there. Chris Seiborke is champion now, of course, but they actually had a 145 pound division before her.

Again, the UFC is a little bit more of a question. I don't know for sure. I know PFL does lightweight, which is even bigger. But I assume options are open in terms of like where you fight next. Yeah, yeah. And like, you know, it's all about technique and timing when it comes to this sport. And anything can happen. So I don't necessarily see weight as being the,

biggest factor in whether or not someone loses or wins. Yeah. One thing, and I said this at the start, Nika, and I really do mean this. You know, we've done quite a few interviews over the years, but one thing you've never done, and it's not, I'm not asking you to, like, say, yeah, I didn't do that, but I really do stand by saying this. You've never been a person to make excuses. When you've had these mishaps, these issues, you've addressed them, but you've never

sat there and said, poor me, woe is me, have pity on me, feel sorry for me. you've never done that yet somehow I think in a lot of ways you've been painted as the villain which I think is ridiculous I mean again I'm not going to say you can't take responsibility for missing weight because that's your responsibility but there's other factors going into it but do you feel like and I know the answer but I'm just going to ask you to word it in your own way we've seen one chapter of the Nico Montanio story one chapter let's say maybe two chapters the book's not written though right like this is just one more step in like your book that's going to be written down the road. Your book is not finished. Yeah, no. And I think it's going to be the greatest story because everybody's going to be able to look at, you know, what I had to live through publicly and see that, you know, if I can overcome anything, so can they, you know, like there's nothing that's going to be able to stop me other than myself and I'm not giving up on me. I don't think anybody should give up on themselves either. So I think my story will be really like, extremely relevant to a lot of hardships and situations, especially after COVID, a pandemic year.

So that's just, you know, that's kind of where I want my story to go. Yeah. And I know a huge part of your story to this point and, you know, going forward is your representation being part of the Navajo Nation, but a part of Native Americans representing Native Americans. And we hear these stories all the time. You mentioned like the exploitation that just the, I mean, you just, again, we've heard so many horror stories. I know that's a huge part of your past, your present, and your future. And I imagine that's going to be something you're going to carry with you, whether you fight for Belvoir, PFL, go back to the UFC.

You're always going to represent your people. And I know that's so important to you. And I can't say that enough because that has been a huge, I mean, that is your life. I don't say it's a huge part of your life. It is your life. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Definitely.

Like I said my great grandpa was, you know, World War II vet co-talker. my grandpa my grandpa is a veteran Vietnam War my grandma was in the boarding school days so now everybody's finding all these bodies getting dug up you know some of them are her friends like it's crazy so yeah just come from a place where people just have to overcome so that's why I say like they definitely motivate me you know my culture is a thriving one I mean not so much too I think the Western Eastern economy and in a sense like that. But we're definitely rich in culture and family and understand the word, you know, unity. So I appreciate that, you know, a lot.

Yeah. And I know it sounds like, I know you've been back home now. You've been living there. It sounds like in terms like the stress in terms of your career, sounds like you're just, you are happier being at home. Is that, is that fair to say? Yeah, yeah. I said so, yeah, I can totally, you know, pick and choose where I want to find my

motivation, either with my project. I've done a couple of projects up in rural parts of Alaska, too, even, like, because, you know, we're everywhere. We have different tribes everywhere. So I went and taught self-defense, women's self-defense up there. We have a large number on missing and murder, indigenous women and brothers. So just being able to help out in general like that with my people, you know, anything I can do is just, you know, I see that they're appreciative and that's all I want is them to know that, you know, someone's looking out for. for them because I totally understand how it feels to put your trust into something and someone and then, you know, have, like I said, their agenda, just be priority and then you, you know,

you're left with nothing. No, I totally. Absolutely. Absolutely. And you mentioned earlier, before I let you go, you mentioned earlier you're thinking about going down to Arizona and working with Henry Suito in his camp. Is that something kind of in the works? Oh, yeah. So I went down a couple of times. I'm looking for a place right now. It's pretty ridiculous. That's, a whole different topic of the onomy of like Phoenix. There's so many people moving to Phoenix right now.

It's ridiculous every single day from Texas to California. So it's just hard to find a place and you know. But that, yeah, that's a whole different story. But that's going to be my next my next plot right there is moving to Phoenix,

training with Henry Sehudo, and getting my wrestling on and you know, having fun. Yeah, absolutely. We've got to do a lot of the tribes down there too. family down there also. So I think it'll be it'll be a more comfortable spot for me. Yeah, absolutely. I know Henry's been building a great camp down there. He was work with Deveson Figurato. We just saw Zhang Wei Lee was down there. So he's a tremendous coach,

coach Eric Albaricine. Incredible team done there. So no, no, no giant secret why you want to work with those people. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So, well, Nico, I sincerely say thank you for this conversation. There's just so much ground I wanted to cover with you today because, again, for all the interviews we've done, I feel like there was just so much out there, so much misinformation, and just so many questions, you know, and I know you don't do a ton of media, so I say sincerely, thank you for doing this with me. I really do appreciate it. Before I let you go, I always like to bring attention to the projects you are working on. We kind of talked about at the top. Where can people go? They want to show support. They want to help out the projects

you're working on with the people in Navajo Nation or just in general. Where could people find information where could people try to show you support and what you're doing with those projects with the utilities and everything um you know until we start to get like up and running until we get an actual project going we have we have one in um one of the small pueblos but this uh this week is when we're really going to get it going out here and then you know i'll be able to because we have to place bids and we have the bids have to get picked up in order for us to even start the project so until these projects start to run everything's just going to be on my instagram you know look me up and arm on Tanya on Instagram.

I have a Twitter account, but I'll be honest. I have somebody running that Twitter account. I'm not huge on social media either. But if you look up, if you look up to its a trading post utilities, we should have a website right now. I'll have more information after this week, though, like I said, with the actual details

of what we're doing out here and the projects that were, our bids are getting picked up on. I think the biggest thing, just like the article we did last year, the biggest thing is just raising awareness, right? Like people, I don't think, I think when we had our conversation about that before, I was like, I had no idea. Like, I didn't know because no one talks about it.

Like, that's the sad reality of our, of our country. I didn't even, like, I didn't even think about that. Like, oh, yeah, they don't have electricity and running water and Wi-Fi. Like, these are things that we take for granted sometimes. And, like, until we had that conversation, I was, I didn't know. I wasn't aware. So I think raising awareness is a big part of it, right? Oh, yeah, because, yeah, because there's,

There's a lot of people who can be in denial and be like, oh, no, that's not true. Or they assume that we get money from our casinos, but we're the biggest tribe. And if we got money from our casinos, it would be like two bucks a year. So we don't get anything either. Yeah, well. So we have to rely a lot on, you know, just community work and help, chapter help. Absolutely. Well, Nico, again, thank you so much for doing this today.

I can't say thank you enough. I really do appreciate it. I said it earlier, and I truly do mean it. This is one chapter. I can't wait to the next chapter. and when we do another conversation, we're going to go down and do another interview here six months from now, a year from now, whatever it's going to be,

and we're going to have a whole other story to talk about because your story's not written, the book is not closed, and I look forward to whatever is next for you, Niko. I thank you again so much for doing this day. I really do appreciate it. Thanks, Damon. I appreciate it too. Talk to you soon, okay? All right, I'll talk to later.

Bye-bye. There she is. Nico Montano, the first ever UFC flyweight champion, and I truly do mean it. Like on and off the air, I truly do mean it. Like I've had the pleasure of interviewing and knowing Nico back to the Ultimate Fighter's days. And again, just like I said in the interview, yes, of course there's personal responsibility to take in a lot of those situations, especially with weight cutting and things like that. But it doesn't mean you can't feel some sympathy.

You can't feel just, man, your heart breaks. I mean, she had such an incredible story coming off the show. Everything she's gone through. And I truly do mean it. You know, she's not done yet. I hope she does get a chance to bounce back. I think there's still opportunities out there. And I truly do believe that NICO is a phenomenal fighter.

You know, I hope she does have, you know, kind of a 2.0 coming up here soon. So I want to say a big thank you to Nico for addressing everything, the documentary, the weight cuts, the release from the UFC, all that. So I really do appreciate it. Make sure to check out this podcast and then all future and past podcasts from the Fighter versus the writer. I know this episode was a little bit different because it was more of an in-depth interview versus the typical debate kind of format where we talk about a lot of different subjects

or breakdown events. But Nico, I really wanted to chat with her about everything going on in her life, so that's why we're doing this episode the way we are. I want to say a big thank you to Nico, of course, and make sure you check out all of the podcast platforms where we're at Apple Podcast, Spotify, and of course we're always over on mMAfighting.com.

I want to say a big thank you again to Nico Montaniel. We will see you next week for another edition of the Fighter versus the Rider. Thanks for tuning in. We'll see you then.