Ex-champ Nicco Montano out of fight against Macy Chiasson at UFC Rio Rancho

Former champion Nicco Montano has been forced out of her upcoming fight against Macy Chiasson at UFC Fight Night in Rio Rancho, N.M., due to injury.

Montano’s manager Ricky Kottenstette confirmed the news when speaking to MMA Fighting on Monday. The UFC has already scheduled Invicta veteran Shanna Young as a replacement, according to Chiasson’s coach Sayif Saud and Young’s manager Danny Rubenstein.

According to Kottenstette, Montano suffered a grade 2 sprain of the MCL in her knee and recently traveled to the UFC Performance Institute for treatment in hopes that she could still fight this weekend.

Unfortunately, she didn’t make enough progress in time to compete by Saturday night, and Montano was ultimately pulled from the card.

Kottenstette added that Montano isn’t expected to be sidelined for more than a few weeks with plans to continue her treatment at the UFC Performance Institute while awaiting a new fight booking.

Montano seeks her first win inside the Octagon since she became the first ever women’s flyweight champion in 2017. She eventually surrendered the title when weight cutting issues prevented her from defending the title against Valentina Shevchenko.

In her most recent performance, Montano dropped a unanimous decision to Julianna Pena in her first fight at 135 pounds in the UFC.

As of now, the UFC hasn’t made an official announcement about Montano’s withdrawal from the card. Young went 1-2 in Invicta after a submission loss on Dana White’s Contender Series and is 7-2 as a pro.