From the day she was crowed the first ever UFC women’s flyweight champion, Nicco Montano has known her purpose was more than just fighting or trying to hold onto a belt.
In addition to her achievement in the 125-pound division, the now 32-year-old veteran was also the first Native American to ever hold UFC gold and in her mind that accolade also came along with a certain amount of responsibility.
She was not only representing her people inside the cage, which was an honor she always took seriously, but more importantly Montano had a big enough stage where she could raise awareness to issues that were affecting the Navajo nation as well as the rest of the native people spread across the United States.