Carlos Ulberg’s first-round knockout of Dominick Reyes has sounded a warning to the light heavyweight division’s elite. With half of the fights going the distance, the UFC Fight Night: Ulberg vs. Reyes at Perth’s RAC Arena concluded sometime ago. One of the highlights of the event remained the shocking defeat of ranked bantamweight Luana Carolina. The Brazilian, who stood 15th in the flyweight standings, literally lost ground to Michelle Montague, the UFC’s first female fighter from New Zealand.
Soon after the fight got over, the scorecards appeared. And the details, especially the judges’ scores, sparked a debate on social media. 31-year-old Michelle Montague, who fights out of Coconut Creek in Florida, joined the UFC recently. Considering that she was pitted against a formidable veteran, doubts prevailed over her promotional debut. But the Matamata, New Zealand-born fighter came out with flying colors.
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Michelle Montague: A commanding performance from bell to bell
Post-fight, Montague spoke about the match against Carolina. She talked about her pre-fight preparations and mentality that kept her confident in the lead-up to the big test. The win gave her enough confidence to call out matchmakers to pit her against anyone.
“The matchmakers can put me against anyone,” the New Zealander, who’s known by the moniker ‘Wild One,’ said. The fight began with Luana Carolina going strong. She was landing strikes — punches and elbows — more effectively, at one point cutting Montague with a sharp elbow.
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However, tables turned in round two. Montague took Carolina down to the ground. Carolina’s illegal up-kick resulted in a point deduction. Later, as the fight progressed, Montague started gaining ground. She used her striking to control the action, she did the same thing again in round three against Carolina, showing consistent dominance.
The sports betting writer Adam Martin shared a few details about the scorecards: 29-26, 30-25, and 30-26. It didn’t take much before comments started pouring in.
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The verdict on the scorecard leaves fans scratching their heads
To begin with, one felt the judges’ scoring of the fight was unusual. “One of the craziest scorecards I’ve seen. But well deserved win for Montague,” they said. Still, despite the confusion regarding the scoring, they felt Montague truly earned the victory based on her performance.
A few, nonetheless, disagreed with the second-round score. One remarked, “One could easily argue 10-7 r2,” and then another speculated, “Maybe 10/7 in the 2nd?” With a point deducted from Luana Carolina, the scorecard on all three judges’ sheets had 10-8. Montague’s dominance may have left fans thinking Carolina had already faded in the round.
But one follower seemed to agree with the scores. They said, “All 3 are good tho imo.” Despite being a newcomer to the professional scene, Michelle Montague performed very well. To another, Montague’s win appeared obvious: “Never a doubt, light work.” For sure, it was dominance from start to finish. So, the outcome was never in question.
Perhaps, Michelle Montague walked through the fight like it was a warm-up.
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But the fact remains: daunting challenges await the unbeaten warrior. During her tenure in PFL, Montague primarily fought at 145 pounds. So for the 135-pound match against Carolina, she was able to use her size and strength advantage. However, the division currently dominated by Kayla Harrison features several fighters who could seriously challenge her winning streak.
Who would you want Michelle Montague to fight next?