Ideally, Sijara Eubanks would have fought Nicco Montano for the inaugural women’s flyweight crown at “The Ultimate Fighter 26” finale.
Instead, a disastrous weight cut hospitalized Eubanks one day before the bout, and she was replaced by Roxanne Modafferi. Montano then went on to claim 125-pound gold with a five-round verdict over “The Happy Warrior” this past December.
Eubanks was seeded 12th out of 16 fighters in the house, while Montano was No. 14, and both bested more experienced and celebrated opponents to make it to the finale. However, Eubanks’ Octagon debut won’t come until Friday, when she faces Lauren Murphy in a preliminary flyweight contest at UFC Fight Night 131 in Utica, N.