Norma Dumont made weight for a bantamweight bout for the first time in her UFC career, potentially opening up opportunities for bigger matchups in the future.
Alright, let’s dive into this. Norma Dumont? She’s finally hit that 136-pound mark. It’s her first time making weight for a bantamweight bout in her UFC career. This could be a game-changer, potentially paving the way for bigger matchups.
She’d previously moved up to featherweight. Why? She’d missed weight early in her UFC journey. But then, she found her groove in the division, beating five outta six opponents. Impressive, right? But she was hell-bent on cutting back down to 135 pounds. This was after the featherweight division dissolved following Amanda Nunes‘ retirement.
Now, she’s got her sights set on bigger things. She’s hoping the UFC matchmakers will keep throwing key fights her way. First up? She’s squaring off against Germaine de Randamie this Saturday at UFC Vegas 90. And she’s welcoming the former titleholder back to the UFC after a three-and-a-half year hiatus.
Dumont’s got a bone to pick with other UFC contenders. She said on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast, “The excuse they had was they wouldn’t fight me at featherweight.” She added, “The UFC tried to book me against Irene [Aldana], [Holly] Holm, Miesha [Tate], [Pannie] Kianzad, all these girls, and the answer was always the same: We won’t fight at featherweight. And we had the same problem now, their excuse was they didn’t believe I would make weight.”
She made weight alright. Last Friday in Las Vegas. But she doesn’t think it’s gonna solve her matchmaking problems. In fact, she expects things to get even worse once she beats de Randamie. She believes she’ll become a “high-risk, low-reward” matchup for top bantamweights.
Dumont’s pretty frustrated with the situation. She said, “UFC already wants to book me against top-five fighters, but they don’t accept it.” She added, “Their excuse is they don’t think I will make weight, but [Holly] Holm agreed to fight Kayla [Harrison]. Kianzad said the same thing and then agreed to fight Macy [Chiasson], who didn’t make weight [twice]. I think it’s just excuses. They would have accepted it if it was an easy fight.”
If she wins on Saturday, that’s a four-fight hot streak for Dumont. And she’s not ruling out challenging 135-pound champion Raquel Pennington after the victory. She said, “The conversation we had with the UFC is that making weight and having a good performance, the UFC will pressure top-five fighters to accept this. If they don’t accept it, there’s not much I can do, then give me a title shot already.”
She’s got her eyes on the prize. She said, “I want to fight for the title. Pennington has the belt and she’s tough, but she intimidates absolutely nobody. Any top-five [contender] can beat her. She’s not like Amanda [Nunes], who was a tougher fight, so everybody wants to put their hands on this title shot as soon as possible. They won’t stop and fight a super tough opponent who is moving down in weight and is ranked No. 11. I understand that, but that’s not my problem. UFC has to figure this out with them. Bring them [to me] just like they brought Germaine.”
Dumont had a deal with the UFC to fight Amanda in December at featherweight. So, she’s calling out Raquel Pennington. If she’s not next, Dumont’s ready for anyone else chasing the belt. She said, “Honestly, just give me any of them, no problem. But I want Pennington. Simple.”