Introduction
Friday, February 3rd, New Zealander featherweight prospect Michelle Montague will be in action for PFL, where she will be looking to keep her undefeated record intact against Shaquita Woods. She will be looking for another win, as Montague looks to earn her way into the 2023 PFL Women’s Lightweight season. She represents American Top Team, a top camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Ground Game: Montague is a very gifted grappler with good offensive wrestling and takedowns. Once she’s able to put her opponent on the mat, she is very heavy from the top position and does not give up her position easily. She is proficient with the submission game. Eight of her 11 wins as an amateur came by way of submission, most of which came by armbar and guillotine choke. Both of her pro wins came by her dominant ground game, where she showed great composure and ground-and-pound before she was able to score a rear-naked choke in both of those bouts.
Athleticism: Montague is a good natural athlete with good explosiveness and quickness for a woman her size. In an interview I did with her on the Shootin’ the Shit podcast, she is known for her activity outside the cage in the outdoors, such as rafting/surfing/etc. Her natural athleticism is an advantage when she steps into the cage, as it is with many other good fighters.
Needs Improvement
High-Level Experience: Montague is just 2-0 as a professional, and while she’s taken on Olivia Parker (4-2) and Danielle Wynn (1-3) who have more pro experience, she has not taken on a more high-level opponent thus far. She has good experience as an amateur, where she went 11-2. Her only loss came to top amateur prospect Sabrina de Sousa, who has dominated the amateur circuit, particularly the IMMAF. If Montague wants to get a spot in the PFL lightweight season, she needs to prove herself against a more high-level opponent.
Outlook
Contender at 145: There isn’t a great amount of talent in the women’s featherweight division, as there just simply aren’t that many women that occupy that division. That said, Montague certainly has the skills to be a contender there at some point. As mentioned, she just needs more experience. I think she will defeat Woods pretty handily in her upcoming fight, and if she’s able to get into the 2023 PFL Lightweight season, she has a high hill to climb. With names in that season such as Kayla Harrison and Larissa Pacheco, she’s going to be taking a major step up in competition against battle-tested veterans who have fought in top promotions. One day, I like Montague as a contender, and with American Top Team in her corner, she has a great chance. The build will be somewhat slow, though.
MMA Intel 