“With that [fight], there were little positions where you think you’re in a good spot, because you are, but you’ve got to remember they can still smoke you with an elbow from whatever dumb spot they’re in, and that’s your bad.
“Stuff like that will only come through experience… and just knowing that these girls are like veterans in the sport compared to me. They’ve got game, they’ve got strength, they’re durable, you can’t trick them easily; they’re not some random person from nowhere who just popped up.”
Silva (10-6) definitely falls below that description, with the 34-year-old Brazilian making her 14th UFC look and having beforehand fought for the bantamweight title.
Losing that bout for the belt in opposition to Raquel Pennington was the primary in a four-fight skid for Silva, nonetheless, and Montague (7-0) urged the 2 had been at completely different phases of their careers.
“She’s on the last fight of her contract and getting ready to go through the process of her wife having a baby, and I’m over here in my second UFC fight with my mum and dad next to me, so it’s very, very different ends of the stage. I feel good about it.”
While it’s solely Montague’s second struggle within the UFC, she and Silva aren’t any strangers to one another.
The pair had been previously coaching companions at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, with Montague, who fights primarily from the orthodox stance, offering Silva a southpaw look in sparring earlier than the Brazilian’s bout with former champion Holly Holm in 2023.
Working with some of the talent-rich MMA groups on the planet, Montague has had loads of high quality sparring all through camp regardless of present UFC bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison being out of motion due to damage.
Montague has labored with the likes of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and present UFC No 15-ranked bantamweight Bia Mesquita throughout this camp, and mentioned she was coming in with all her bases coated.
“We’ve had perfect looks the whole camp, and obviously we’ve repped a s*** ton of what we need to with what [Silva] does best, because there’s some stuff she does really well and it surprises her opponents and she gets them with it,” Montague mentioned.
“For me, it’s a beautiful opportunity. I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes right now.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports activities staff in 2017, bringing the identical versatility to his protection as he does to his sports activities viewing habits.
