Alberto Montes: The Promise Ready to Shine in UFC Debut

Alberto Montes’ path to the UFC Octagon wasn’t immediate, but his dedication and resilience have brought him to this pivotal moment. After earning his contract with a stunning second-round anaconda choke submission over Carlos Calderon on Dana White’s Contender Series in October 2024, Montes faced a frustrating setback – a rib injury that sidelined him for an extended period.

Now, fully recovered and eager to compete, “The Promise” is set to make his highly anticipated debut at UFC 326 on Saturday night, taking on Ricky Turcios in a featherweight clash at T-Mobile Arena.

A Long-Awaited Debut

“I feel amazing. I’ve really waited for this for a long time,” a beaming Montes shared, expressing his joy at finally reaching his UFC dream. “It’s my dream, but we couldn’t do it before, because I had a small injury on my ribs. But now we’re on fight week and we are very excited.”

Rib injuries are notoriously difficult to manage, and Montes’ experience was particularly challenging. “The pain is a lot,” he recalled. “I remember for maybe three months, I couldn’t even breathe or sleep good. But after five, six months, I feel amazing. I said, ‘Look, I wanna fight.’ I came to the PI to check my ribs and everything. And they looked at me said, ‘Look, you need seven months more,’ and I said, ‘No way!’ But now I feel amazing. I feel good. And I have, like, two ribs, it’s better than one! I feel good.”

Heeding the Advice, Returning Stronger

Despite his eagerness to return, Montes wisely heeded medical advice, allowing his injury sufficient time to heal. This patience has paid off, as he enters his debut fight feeling 100% healthy and prepared to showcase his full potential. “I think it was a very smart decision I took at that moment, but really, like, a broken-hearted decision,” he admitted. “But I had to take that decision because I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t even throw a punch, I couldn’t even breathe good. And now I feel like nearly 100 percent, and I think it’s the first fight of my life that I don’t have any pain in my body. That’s amazing.”

A Dream Fulfilled, A Promise Kept

Montes is grateful to be on a major event, providing him with the big-arena experience he craves. “I’m the type of fighter to be on a big card, you know?” he said. “I love fighting at the APEX, but I think I’m a guy to fight on something with the biggest audience.”

The nickname “The Promise” holds deep personal significance for Montes, stemming from a commitment he made to his mother. Growing up in Venezuela, pursuing a career in the UFC was considered an unconventional dream. He balanced his athletic aspirations with his studies, promising his mother he would dedicate himself to academics if he couldn’t succeed in fighting.

“It’s about a promise I made to my mom at one part of my life,” he explained. “My mom, she doesn’t like this sport, and she always wanted me to go to university. When you say in that type of country that, ‘I want to be a UFC fighter,’ it’s a crazy dream. I said to my mom, ‘Look mom, let me try. Let me try my best. If I don’t fight out of Venezuela before 2022, I’ll quit the sport and dedicate my life to my studies. But let me try.’ I promised my mom that, ‘Look, I’m gonna do my best. If I can’t, I quit. But let me try.’ And she said, ‘OK, let’s do it,’ and that’s when I started doing everything.”

Representing Venezuela on the World Stage

Now, with his mother’s blessing (though she still has reservations about the sport!), Montes is ready to represent his country and inspire future generations of Venezuelan fighters. “It means a lot, because I truly believe that Venezuela has amazing fighters,” he explained. “If you ask me about talent, Venezuela has big talent, and the moment they can get out of the country and compete in other events, we’re going to have more fighters in the UFC – I know it.”

Montes is determined to make a statement in his debut against Ricky Turcios, a known unpredictable fighter. “I think he’s a good fighter,” he said. “He’s a guy with a lot of experience. I think we are almost the same on that, because he’s fought since a long time ago. He made his career here. I made my career in Venezuela. I think it’s gonna be a fun fight. He’s unpredictable fighter, and me, too. He’s more chaotic than me. I’m more technical. But I think it’s going to be a beautiful fight.”

Don’t miss UFC 326: Holloway vs Oliveira 2, live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 7, 2026. UFC Official Website

How to Watch UFC 326

Early prelims start at 5:30pm ET/2:30pm PT, followed by the prelims at 7pm ET/4pm PT and main card live on Paramount+ at 9pm ET/6pm PT.