SÃO PAULO — Norma Dumont wants a fight that gets her a shot at the UFC bantamweight title, but laments the fact it’s been so hard getting one as of late. The Brazilian talent won five in a row in the octagon, the last two over Germaine de Randamie and Irene Aldana in 2024, but told MMA Fighting “I have no idea” who could be next for her.
“It’s very frustrating because I’m focused on the belt, I want the belt, that’s my goal,” Dumont said. “I’m doing everything with that purpose, agreeing to fights that would put me on this path for the title shot, and it’s frustrating that I have no options now.”
Julianna Peña will defend her belt next against Kayla Harrison on June 7 in Newark, and Dumont aimed for a No. 1 contender clash with former champion Raquel Pennington, but heard from the promotion that Pennington has no timetable for a UFC return due to injury. Macy Chiasson and Ketlen Vieira will meet on May 31, leaving her with no dancing partner in the top 5.
“It would make sense to fight someone ranked lower than me just to stay active,” Dumont said, “but my goal is one more and then the belt, and that wouldn’t put me up there. If I keep fighting people ranked lower [than me] I won’t be in the position to fight for the belt next. I need a fight that takes me to a title shot, otherwise I’ll just keep fighting and not get to my final goal.”
“I’m never their first option,” Dumont said when asked why it’s so hard getting fights. “Maybe it’s my style, because I’m more versatile and big for the division. I think it’s a strategy. Sometimes it’s easier to plan a win over other girls. We joke it’s fear and whatnot, but I think it’s just a strategy. I’m a black belt on the ground, a black belt on the feet. I’m a big athlete, a strong athlete, I have cardio, so maybe I’m a complicated fight for these girls.”
Dumont said she refuses to be sidelined a full year, and expects the UFC to have a date an opponent set before the end of the month. The Brazilian talent, who joined Chute Boxe Diego Lima in Sao Paulo after her dominant victory over Aldana in September, offers to serve as the backup for Peña vs. Harrison at UFC 316, and would be “ideal” to have her own fight on the same card.
“We had this idea that Pennington and I would be on the same card of the Kayla and Julianna fight and in case something happened, if the fight falls off, I would come in,” Dumont said, “But Pennington being injured ruins everybody’s plans. Not only my plans, but UFC’s plans. They had plans already, and now they’re moving the pieces that are left. It gets a bit more complicated.”
Dumont hopes she’s one win away from a title shot regardless of who’s her next opponent given the body of work so far in the UFC, but the return of the legendary two-division champion Amanda Nunes could ruin those plans.
“I believe that Kayla beats Julianna and Amanda could return,” Dumont said. “Not to continue her career, but to beat Kayla. I believe she could return just for that, to do the Kayla fight and then retire again. That would be terrible for me because it would slow down the division, but there’s a real chance it could happen.”
If Nunes’s return is only dependent on Harrison holding the belt that once belonged to her, Dumont believes it’s only a mater of time for it to become reality. She won’t overlook Peña at UFC 316, though.
“The problem is that Julianna is too small for the division and her style is to grab and take you down,” Dumont said. “That game, Kayla is twice her size and way more experienced. The problem is that Kayla’s lungs are small, she has no efficient cardio for three rounds. She lasts one round and a half. She sprints twice in the first, once in the second, and only once in the third. She doesn’t have much cardio.
“If [Harrison] puts pressure in the first and second rounds, she can end with ground and pound or with some pressure to submit. I believe that could happen, Julianna being unable to handle Kayla’s size, but if the fight gets past the third round Julianna can be a problem because she can be annoying. She’s lighter, but she has great cardio, she’s very durable and has many tips. The Amanda fights, even the one Amanda destroyed her, Amanda came out with cuts on her face. If Kayla is smart, she puts pressure early in the first rounds.”
