With the fate of the division very much up in the air, a rare women’s featherweight fight — perhaps one of the last in the UFC — arrived on Saturday when Chelsea Chandler faced Norma Dumont at UFC Vegas 77.
With a bit of a back-and-forth during weigh-ins on Friday, there was no love lost in this one.
Off the opening bell, Chelsea Chandler went on the attack, but Dumont found success with her counters. She found real success a moment later, rocking Chandler who then turned and fled — straight across the cage, back turned! Dumont chased her down, landing lefts and rights and mixing in some shots to the body. That, however, had given Chandler the time she needed to regain her composure, and she even managed to land a string of lefts.
What a scene 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/ZcwqDyf5ji
— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) July 16, 2023
Dumont, meanwhile, looked to fire a head kick. Chandler cracked Dumont with another left, and tied the fight up in a clinch. Putting Dumont on the fence, Chandler looked to sweep a leg, but Dumont reversed. Only to be reversed again. When they did go to the ground, it was Dumont on top, working from guard.
Round two saw the pair in another early clinch, before a bit of a firefight broke out, with both ladies landing heavy shots. Dumont landed a straight right off a 1-2 that forced Chandler back; another right hand landed a moment later. Dumont would then land a takedown, looking to pass into half-guard to no avail.
From bottom, Chandler would look to throw up an arm-bar, to no avail. But she would make it back to her feet by the end of the round.
Dumont opened round three shooting a takedown, and briefly landed it, though perhaps not long enough for it to count officially. Chandler, however, was badly in need of a momentum change, and got that when she landed a takedown of her own. Dumont, however, was herself quickly back up.
When they went back down again at the midway mark, it was Chandler working for a kneebar. But Dumont defended and nearly took the back. When Chandler went fishing for the limb a second time, she did take the back, though she did not have hooks in. The fight, hard-hitting at times early on, had slowed, and Chandler seemed to struggle to find the strength to power up.
Official Result: Norma Dumont def. Chelsea Chandler by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
