Sao Paulo – Norma Dumont wants a fight to win a shot for her in the UFC Bantamweight title, but laments the fact that it’s so difficult to get it at this point. Brazilian talent was the last two to surpass Jermaine de Landamey and Eileen Ardana in 2024, winning five straight Octagons, but fought MMA saying “I don’t think about it.”
“It’s very frustrating because I’m focused on the belt, I want the belt, that’s my goal,” Dumont said. “I’m doing it all for that purpose. I agree with the fight to put me on this path for the title shot. I’m frustrated that I don’t have any options right now.”
Julianna Pena next defended her belt against Kayla Harrison in Newark on June 7th, with Dumont aiming for a first-time contender clash with former champion Raquel Pennington, but we heard that Pennington had no timetable for UFC returns due to injuries. Macy Chiasson and Ketren Vieira met on May 31st, and there are no dance partners in the top five.
“But my goal is one more goal, and it doesn’t put me there, so my goal isn’t one more. If I keep fighting people (more than me) (more than me), I don’t need to take them to the title shot.
“I’m not their first choice,” Dumont said when asked why it’s so difficult to fight. “It could be my style, because I’m more versatile and bigger for the department. I think it’s a strategy. It’s easy to plan on beating other girls. I think it’s fear and other strategies, but I have a black belt on the ground, a black belt on the feet. I’m a big athlete, a strong athlete.
Dumont refuses to be on the sidelines for a year and says he expects the UFC to have a date set by the end of the month by the opponent. The Brazilian talent, who joined Shootbox Diegolima in Sao Paulo after a dominant victory over Ardana in September, will serve as a backup for Peña vs Harrison in UFC 316, and will be “ideal” to fight her own battle on the same card.
“There was the idea that Pennington and I were on the same card from the battle between Kayla and Juliana. If something happens, if the battle goes down, I’ll come in,” Dumont said.
Dumont hopes that it’s one win from the title shot, regardless of the next opponent given the body of his previous work in the UFC, but the return of legendary two-division champion Amanda Nunes could ruin those plans.
“I believe Kayla will beat Juliana and Amanda will be back,” Dumont said. “Beating Kela, not continuing her career. I believe she can go back just for that and fight Kayla and then retire again.
If Nunes’s return only relies on Harrison, who holds the belt that once belonged to her, Dumont believes it is the motherhood of time that it becomes a reality. However, she never overlooks Peña at UFC 316.
“The problem is, Juliana is too small for the department and her style is to grab and defeat you,” Dumont said. “That game, Kela, is twice as experiencing her size and experience. The problem is that Kayla’s lungs are small and there is no efficient cardio workout in three rounds. She lasts a round and a half.
“If (Harrison) puts pressure on the first and second rounds, she can either end up with the ground and pounds or with the pressure to submit. I don’t think Julianna can handle Kela’s size. Amanda put out a cut on her face.