Why Michelle Montague Needs to Be on Your Radar Before UFC Fans Catch Up
Michelle Montague is the kind of prospect people around the women’s bantamweight division should be tracking now, not later. The New Zealander built her name through grappling, turned that into a 7-0 pro record, trains at American Top Team, and is now lined up for a major test against former title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva, with current betting markets listing Montague as the favorite.
Who Is Michelle Montague? Inside the Rise of New Zealand’s Undefeated UFC Fighter
Opening odds list Mayra Bueno Silva at +330 and Montague at -400, while another sportsbooks such as New Zealand Sports betting recently showed Montague as a consistent favorite and Bueno Silva as the underdog for the scheduled April 25, 2026 bout. Those numbers do not guarantee anything, but they show how the market views the matchup. Montague is expected to defeat a top-ranked UFC contender.
Montague came through a deep combat sports base in New Zealand, competing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling and MMA before her pro run took off. She made history in 2019 as the first Waikato athlete to medal at the IMMAF Amateur MMA World Championships, winning gold in an all-Kiwi final in Bahrain against Mel Webster. She is also a New Zealand Commonwealth Games representative in freestyle wrestling in 2018 and 2022, an Oceania wrestling champion, a UWW World Championships competitor, and a multiple-time national grappling titleholder.
That background helps explain why Montague has been able to move through fights so quickly. She opened her career with six straight wins, all by rear-naked choke, an impressive level of consistency even for a prospect built around ground control. That gives real weight to the claim that her submission rate sits above 80 percent, because six of her first seven documented pro wins came by tapout before later adding a decision on her UFC debut track.
The finish pattern shows a fighter who can convert takedowns into clean back takes and chokes. A 5-foot-9 frame at 135 pounds, experience across wrestling and grappling, and daily work at American Top Team make her a serious long-term project in a division that still lacks many complete, young, upward-moving contenders.
That is why Montague belongs on the radar now. She has the amateur pedigree, the grappling base, the unbeaten record, and a schedule that is moving fast. If she gets past Bueno Silva, she may become a superstar.
Michelle Montague’s next fight is scheduled for April 25, 2026, against Mayra Bueno Silva at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, on a UFC Fight Night card.
