Aspen Ladd makes a short notice move to featherweight to take on Norma Dumont at UFC Vegas 40 and Cageside Press has its picks set.
| Staff Writer | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Doherty (110-61) |  |  |  |  |
| Justin Gibbons (108-72) | |  |  | |
| Eddie Law (48-33) | | | |  |
| Alex Behunin (95-66) | | | | |
| Gabriel Gonzalez (100-80) | | | | |
| Mike McClory (57-48) | | | | |
| Jay Anderson (92-84) | | | | |
| Dylan Bowker (87-84) | | | | |
| Chris Prawdzik (20-21) | | | | |
The main event of UFC Vegas 40 pits Aspen Ladd against Norma Dumont in a featherweight battle. Ladd is stepping in on short notice to replace Holly Holm. Ladd hasn’t fought since 2019, when she bounced back from the first loss of her career with a win over Yana Kunitskaya. Dumont is 2-1 in the Octagon with the lone loss being a quick knockout against Megan Anderson in her promotional debut. Ladd was picked by six of nine writers.
The co-main event is a heavyweight clash between longtime veteran Andrei Arlovski and Carlos Felipe. Despite being 42, Arlovski has won three of his last four fights with wins over Chase Sherman and Tanner Boser. Felipe has bounced back from a promotional debut defeat with three consecutive victories. All but one writer picked Arlovski.
The man with the most fights in UFC history, Jim Miller, faces a fighter making his first walk to the Octagon in Erick Gonzalez. Miller has lost three of his last four with the lone win being a quick submission against Roosevelt Roberts. Gonzalez, who is also known as The Ghost Pepper, was a Combate Americas standout who has won four of his last five fights heading into his debut. Miller was picked by six of nine writers.
Flyweights Manon Fiorot and Mayra Bueno Silva will square off on the main card. Fiorot has won seven consecutive fights since a loss in her debut in Cage Warriors, and that includes two knockouts in the UFC in as many fights. Bueno Silva is 2-1-1 in the Octagon with a pair of submissions. Fiorot was unanimously picked.
