Norma Dumont Upsets Felicia Spencer, Edges Split Decision Victory At UFC Vegas 27
Norma Dumont is better than most anticipated..
The UFC returns to the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC Vegas 27 tonight, May 22, 2021.
Both the co-main and main events tonight showcase No. 3 & No. 4 contenders, with a former champion in each bout.
Headlining the event is an incredible bantamweight clash between top contenders Rob Font (No. 3) and former champion Cody Garbrandt (No. 4). We’ve all been anticipating this fight since it was booked.
Garbrandt defeated the greatest bantamweight to ever do it, Dominick Cruz, back at UFC 207 to claim the UFC bantamweight championship. This improved his record to just 11-0. However, he’d lose the title to TJ Dillashaw in his very next bout, before losing to him again in a rematch. He then lost to Pedro Munhoz, falling from 11-0 to 11-3.
All three of those defeats came via knockout, making him winless for nearly four years, up until he fought Raphael Assuncao in June of last year, securing a Knockout of the Year candidate at the end of round two.
Font, like Garbrandt, is a great striker, primarily with his punches. They both have good kicks to go along with it, but both of them have incredibly dangerous hands. The Massachusetts native has won his last three-straight over the likes of Sergio Pettis (UD), Ricky Simon (UD), and Marlon Moraes (KO).
Font also has some other great wins, but those are of course his most recent. Not too bad aye? A Bellator world champion, a former two-time LFA champion, and a former six-time WSOF champion.
Co-headlining the event is a bout coming in the women’s strawweight division, as No. 3 ranked Yan Xiaonan takes on former champion, No. 4 ranked Carla Esparza. If Xiaonan wins this fight, she’ll climb to 7-0 inside the octagon, and it’ll be her fourth victory over a top ten opponent.
If Esparza wins, it’ll be her fifth-straight, extending her longest win streak inside the octagon by three.
Our first feature bout of the evening came in the women’s featherweight division between former Invicta featherweight champion and former UFC title challenger Felicia Spencer, who faces former six-time Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) national champion.
Spencer has gone 2-2 thus far into her UFC career, defeating Megan Anderson (RNC) and Zarah Fairn dos Santos (TKO), while losing to former multiple-organization world champion Cris Cyborg (UD) and multi-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes (UD).
Dumont on the other hand has gone just 1-1 inside her UFC career, losing to Megan Anderson (KO), and defeating Ashlee Evans-Smith (UD) in her last bout.
Continue reading to see how this women’s featherweight bout went down:
Official Result: Norma Dumont def. Felicia Spencer via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Round 1
Round one was very much a feeling out process between these two.
Spencer was using her feints well, and landed a couple punches when rushing in, while Dumont’s hands are also looking good. Dumont has the crisper of the striking it appears, but neither have really found their target much yet.
Round 2
This was a much better round for Dumont, as she found her range with her boxing. Her combinations were beautiful; she was landing punches in bunches, ripping the body, she’s looking great.
Spencer is landing some nice hook kicks here and there but they don’t have any intent on them, thus the reason Dumont can eat them. This is very likely an even fight going into round three.
Round 3
Dumont takes Spencer down early in round three and keeps her on her back for a couple minutes, until Spencer is able to get up and tie Dumont up along the fence.
Spencer lands some nice elbows while she has Dumont pinned against the fence. Dumont goes for a hip toss but fails the attempt and ends up on her back for the remaining minute of the fight.
This one could’ve gone 29-28 either way, it was a very close encounter.
