Norma Dumont is “so excited” to finally be competing again and she's vowed to make a statement against Cortren Vieira at UFC Vegas 110 on November 1 to make it clear that her next fight should be for the bantamweight title.
Dumont last entered the Octagon in September 2024, when she broke the forehead of Irene Aldana at The Sphere in Las Vegas to win five straight. With that decision, she had two wins in 2024, a victory over former champion Germaine de Randamie, but she once again had trouble registering for fights.
The Chute Boxe fighter told MMA Fighting ahead of her fight with Vieira that she initially committed to fights in April and July but said the UFC couldn't find an opponent. Dumont was scheduled to return in September, only to find out our Raquel Pennington would be forced to miss the game due to injury.
“It's always a big soap opera,” Dumont said. “Even the UFC, even Mick [Maynard]when they had to book a fight, he already said, “Let's try to get someone.” I believe it's because I'm a fighter, good on my feet, good on the ground, strong, cardio-savvy, and have a very strategic fight IQ that I ended up being the last option. It's normal for fighters to try to move to easier matchups. I'm not even saying it was out of fear, just not wanting to lose. I don't know, maybe they hate me so much they don't even want to risk losing to me [laughs]”.
“Honestly, I can't understand it, but I find this issue has been bothering me for a while,” she continued. “Even the UFC itself was starting to get a little impatient with my potential opponents. They really wanted me to fight in the middle of the year and were even considering me fighting someone who wasn't ranked. I was pissed off. I said, 'I don't think I should fight anyone who's ranked lower.' But they said, 'Norma, We don’t want you to sit out for a year and we can’t get anyone out of the rankings. We need you to fight, you can’t sit around, we need you to be in the Octagon regularly and we’re going to keep working on it. “They tried it and came back a week later and said, ‘There’s really no one. '”
Vieira, who defeated Macy Chiasson in May and bounced back from a loss to Kayla Harrison, agreed to a Nov. 1 call against Dumont.
“This style has been very beneficial to me skill-wise,” Dumont said. “Katlen is tough in the fight — she throws right hands, clinches hard, likes to be like a wet blanket on top — but I also see a lot of openings. I don't see a style matchup that favors her. Movement, speed, strength, explosiveness, recovery, skill, I think I have a lot of tools to win on the stand and on the ground. It's not going to be an easy fight, never to this level, but I believe there are a lot of ways to win for me.”
Harrison is expected to face the returning Amanda Nunes in her next title defense in 2026, with Dumont hoping she can beat Vieira next. A win this weekend would bring Dumont's record to 9-2, and she doesn't think all of her previous wins have come by decision, to her detriment.
“Obviously, every game we go into is looking for knockouts, going for submissions, but once you get to the top of the conference, you realize how hard it is to get those,” Dumont said. “Defeat Catron, there's nowhere else to go. Who are they going to send?” [for the title]? Juliana [Peña] again? Raquel? never. Juliana was defeated by Kayla and Raquel lost to Juliana. Whoever wins between Amanda and Keira is unbeatable.
“But, of course, if I get knocked out or submit beautifully on Saturday, I'll definitely be on the cleanest radar. That's what we're aiming for, that's what we're going to do. But honestly, given how the division is, even a regular win should get me the title shot – but I don't want a regular win, I want something extraordinary [laughs]”.
The UFC has yet to reveal a date for Harrison vs. Nunes in 2026, with Dumont believing it could take place as soon as January. If all goes well and an immediate rematch isn't required, Dumont will push for the opportunity without needing another victory.
But if that's not the case, Dumont is more than willing to stay positive against top opponents.
“To be honest, I don’t even know if Raquel is back,” Dumont said. “It looks like she's going to have to have another surgery and I'm not sure if she's going to [fights again]. Juliana, I don't even think about her, she's not fighting me. Maybe I'll finally face Yana [Santos]I will accept it because it is my job. I’m not going to sit around and wait for another year. I am 35 years old and cannot stay without exercise for such a long time. In my mind, they didn't beat me anyway, so it makes no difference. I will fight everyone. This way I can become a champion. If I have to fight again, I'll be ready. “