UFC Vegas 27 results: Norma Dumont edges out Felicia Spencer by split decision

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Norma Dumont picked up with biggest win of her career on Saturday night as she took out two-time featherweight title contender Felicia Spencer by split decision at UFC Vegas 27.

A versatile striking offense helped Dumont land the better shots over three rounds while avoiding Spencer’s power punches and grappling order to earn the victory. The judges scored the contest 30-27 and 29-28 for Dumont with the third dissenting official giving Spencer the nod with a 29-28 scorecard.

In the end, Dumont still got the win, although her time at 145 pounds may be short lived despite the magnitude of this victory.

“I’m feeling very good,” Dumont said after the win. “I only had three weeks to adjust to fight one of the toughest girls in the division. I’d like to stay busy and at 135 [pounds], there’s more options for me.”

Spencer and Dumont were both more than happy to engage in striking exchanges in the early going but the Brazilian was the one to eventually begin landing more effective combinations. Dumont’s fast hands and accuracy on the feet were giving Spencer trouble as she fired back with power punches in return.

Dumont began throwing a thudding inside leg kick that was landing with regularity and that led to her unleashing a powerful left-right combo that was tagging Spencer repeatedly. Whenever Spencer rushed forward, Dumont was making her pay for it with blistering counter punches that were snapping the Canadian’s head back.

Dumont was much crisper with her strikes on the feet but she wasn’t throwing with a lot of volume, which allowed Spencer to then close the distance and work from the inside. While she wasn’t doing enough to truly separate herself from the former two-time title contender, Dumont was still clearly landing the better shots during the exchanges.

With just over a minute remaining, Spencer finally secured a takedown of her own as she sought to use her grappling to possibly earn the comeback win but she failed to produce much damage, which allowed Dumont to hang on and get the nod by split decision.

Considering the lack of depth at featherweight, Dumont’s lone win at featherweight could conceivably put her in title contention right away but it appears she’s committed to a future at 135 pounds if she’s able to get her weight cut in order.