Following her triumph at UFC Vegas 77, Norma Dumont announced plans to move to the bantamweight division after being informed that the UFC’s 145-pound featherweight category will be abolished in the following months.
Norma Dumont’s victory over Chelsea Chandler at UFC Vegas 77 marks her final performance in the featherweight division. Dumont, a Brazilian talent, has stated her intention of moving to bantamweight. She claims that the UFC has informed her of its plan to shut down its 145-pound division in the coming months. Referring to a conversation with the UFC, Dumont shared, “They said, ‘Look, there’s really no one else to fight, Norma. There’s no point fighting lower level athletes. The reality is, there’s no one else.’ It really makes no sense to me and to [the UFC].”
Before retiring, Amanda Nunes held the title of two-division champion in both bantamweight and featherweight divisions. According to Dumont, the marketing convenience is the main cause behind the weight class not being closed after Cris Cyborg ended the partnership with the promotion. Nunes might have occasionally defended the 145-pound throne, but she always found her true home in the bantamweight division. Current booking records show that UFC doesn’t have any featherweight matches lined up, and most of their latest 145-pound fights involved bantamweights who had difficulties maintaining weight or agreed to fight on short notice and required a change in weight.
Zarah Fairn, one of the few full-time featherweights signed by the UFC, is set to drop to bantamweight for the first time to face Hailey Cowan at UFC Paris in September. Dumont predicts this fight will eventually be moved up to 145 pounds and finds the concept of Fairn dropping to 136 pounds amusing. Fairn, however, has expressed firm resolve in her move to bantamweight. In response to frequent changes in weight class, Dumont points out, “They announce a fight [at 135] and then the athlete has a hard time making weight, and they move it to 145. [UFC] said the division would be closed in September because that would be the last fight.”
Dumont weighed purposefully less at UFC Vegas 77, expecting her move to bantamweight. She explained her frustration with competing in matches with bigger and heavier opponents without any sense of direction. Her transition to bantamweight aims at combating top-ranked athletes and establishing that she could safely enter the 135-pound category. Dumont revealed she would be delighted to compete against fighters such as Raquel Pennington, Irene Aldana, or possibly Holly Holm, depending on her retirement plans. Dumont’s vision for the future of the division includes fresh talents like herself, Mayra Bueno Silva, and Ketlen Vieira making a rigorous run for the title.