It was an extra-long main card as all but the first fight on the card going the distance. In the main event, an important featherweight scrap, as former UFC bantamweight champion, (#5) Aljamain Sterling out-grappled (#7) Youssef Zalal on his way to a unanimous decision victory. In the co-main event Joselyne Edwards used her constant striking aggression to capture a unanimous decision victory over Norma Dumont.

Four win streaks were snapped on this main card while just two fighters have added to losing streaks.

Youssef Zalal

(#5) Aljamain Sterling put on a clinic in all things grappling and wrestling on Saturday when he smothered (#7) Youssef Zalal over five rounds to log a victory. Bitter defeat for Zalal as this is the first loss of his second UFC stint. Zalal was the owner of a 2-3-1 stretch with the UFC from 2020 to 2022 but that included decision defeats against studs like eventual double champ, Illia Topuria and striking standout, Sean Woodson. Since Zalal’s resigning in 2024, he’s 5-1. Youssef was coming into this fight with a decision win over Calvin Kattar and a first round submission victory against Josh Emmett back in October.

A good next opponent for Zalal would be to give him the loser of Melquizael Costa vs. Arnold Allen. That fight goes down on May 16 so the timing would be just fine.  It’s also a main event so it would make even more sense as a matchup. Allen has lost three of his last four as he has recently had a huge step-up in competition. His last fight was back in late January when he lost a unanimous decision to Jean Silva. Melquizael Costa, on the other hand, is on the ascent. Costa is on a six-fight win streak and has finished his last two opponents, most recently, Dan Ige in late February to earn himself a performance bonus.

Best case scenario for Zalal is he’s facing Costa who has a freshly snapped win streak much like himself. This could be a fight night co-main event or potentially even a main event. Great fighters to build names for.

Zalal’s next fight: (#12) Melquizael Costa vs.  (#8) Arnold Allen loser 

Norma Dumont

(#11) Joselyne Edwards used her muay thai and stayed on the offensive in order to get the victory over (#3) Norma Dumont in the co main event on Saturday. It was a competitive fight, but Dumont suffers a horrific setback suffering her first loss since a split decision in May 2022 (opposite of Macy Chiasson). Dumont is now 9-3 with the promotion. Considering Dumont was originally supposed to take on (#5) Yana Santos before her opponent suffered an injury having to withdrawal, this is a rough defeat.

Norma’s next opponent should be Jacquline Cavalcanti if she loses her fight to Ketlen Vieira. That fight goes down on May 16 so the timing would be fine. The Yana fight would also work fine as a backup as she’s just sitting on the shelf right now. Leaning heavily towards the fight with Cavalcanti though. Dumont was Vieira’s most recent loss, and it was only by split decision. Cavalcanti is 10-1 as a pro and a perfect 5-0 in the UFC.  If she stumbles against Vieira, Dumont could be the perfect next test- especially if it’s a close fight.

Dumont’s next fight: (#10) Jacqueline Cavalcanti or (#5) Yana Santos

Alexander Hernandez

Rafa Garica remained cool and composed for the duration of his bout with Alexander Hernadez, fighting within his game plan to tally a nice unanimous decision victory. Bad outcome for Hernandez- but at least he wasn’t finished. The loss stops Alexander’s 4-fight win streak that saw him defeating multiple TUF veterans before stopping Chase Hooper and Diego Ferreira.

Hernandez should look towards a veteran striker for his next matchup, keep the foot on the gas, but maybe a potentially more manageable matchup. Giving Hernandez the loser of the King Green vs Jeremy Stephens fight could be incredibly interesting. Those guys scrap on May 9th so timing would be perfect. King Green even has a recent unanimous decision victory over Jim Miller, and so does Hernandez. Green is headed into that May matchup with Stephens riding a 2-fight win streak.

Jeremy Stephens hasn’t been in the octagon since last May when he lost a violent fight to Mason Jones. Stephens has been all over the place in recent years, from the PFL, to most recently a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships stint. Either one of these vets could offer an interesting and fresh standup battle with Alexander Hernandez. It could be on the main card of a fight night card or prelim of a PPV card.

Hernandez’s next fight: Bobby Green vs Jeremy Stephens Loser

Adrian Luna Martinetti

Davey Grant battered a relentless Adrian Luna Martinetti at the APEX on Saturday to get the unanimous decision victory. Luna Martinetti never gave up, despite his heavily damaged legs, and for that, this fight received fight of the night honors for UFC Vegas 116. The bout was Adrian’s UFC debut as he is a product of last year’s season of the Contender Series. This was Martinetti’s first MMA loss since his third bout, snapping a 15-fight win streak.

Jafel Filho also lost a unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 116, but he fell on the undercard to Cody Durden. Filho is 3-3 with the UFC since being signed off of the 2022 season of the Contender Series. Jafel was fed to the sharks immediately as he faced an undefeated Muhammad Mokaev in his promotional debut. Filho also has a performance bonus under his belt for his 2024 finish over Ode Osbourne. Pairing these two featherweights up could offer a high action fight for fans. Timing makes it too easy of a fight to make as well.

Martinelli’s next fight: Jafel Filho

Montel Jackson

Raoni Barcelos did enough with his grappling and deep submission attempts to steal a split decision over Montel Jackson Saturday, despite Jackson’s early knockdown. This loss extends Jackson’s losing streak to two though his last loss was also a split decision and opposite of former UFC flyweight champion, Deivision Figueiredo. Before this pair of defeats, the 2018 Contender Series veteran was riding a 6-fight win streak featuring three finishes and two bonuses.

Montel Jackson should fight Ricky Simon next. This would be a banger. Simon has big power in his hands and is fresh off a wild majority draw against Adrian Yanez back in late March. Timing wouldn’t be too bad. Simon headed into that fight having dropped three of his last four. But prior to that was his 5-fight win streak that earned him five bonuses in his first five fights with the promotion. Similar fighters in terms of having had their momentums extinguished. Seems like this would be a great time to book this slick standup battle that would have fans on the edge of their seats. This fight could be a co main event on a fight night card.

Jackson’s next fight: Ricky Simon

Marcus Buchecha

Ryan Spann used his 16 fights of UFC experience to expertly navigate the dangerous grappling attacks of Marcus Buchecha before finishing the fight with a two-punch combo in the second. Marcus, who was once 5-1 with ONE Fighting Championship, is now winless since being picked up by the UFC, last July. With a 0-2-1 record with the promotion, it’s worth noting that the 36-year-old heavyweight was originally supposed to take on Max Gimenis on Saturday before Max broke his foot.

Rebook the fight with Max here. Max lost his debut to Josh Hokit, who at the time, was also making his debut. With all the notoriety Hokit has gained recently, giving Max a fight against a fighter that was a name outside of the promotion makes a lot of sense. Plus, the heavyweight division is shallow, and Marcus could be on the shelf long enough for Max to recover from his injury.

Buchecha’s next fight: Max Gimenis

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Normal circumstances are not where the UFC women’s bantamweight division finds itself, however. Amanda Nunes, back from retirement, is waiting for champ Kayla Harrison to return from injury. That means Dumont had to fight on despite owning a six-fight win streak. Edwards meanwhile had four wins and four finishes on her current run.

After some feeling out Edwards went the grappling route in the opening round, getting the fight against the fence and looking for a way to take Dumont down. When that finally succeeded, however, it was Dumont landing on top, Edwards’ plan having backfired. Dumont was in half-guard, looking to pull her leg through and move to mount, or set up a choke with one arm around Edwards’ neck. That wouldn’t pan out, and they’d head to round two.

More of a standup affair with exchanges of kicks opened round two. Edwards threw a little harder, trying to open up a bit. Dumont stayed outside, choosing her moments to close the distance. Throughout the fight, Edwards didn’t seem to show much respect to Dumont’s power. And by the time the third round arrived, it was close.

Dumont fired kicks and her right hand in the third, Edwards launching kicks in return. More standup, with Dumont circling outside. Edwards would clinch up with two minutes or so left, taking the fight to the fence. Edwards fired knees but Dumont was able to get off the fence, get a Thai plum on and fire a knee or two of her own. In the final minute they traded hard leg kicks then let the hands go, until the final horn blared.

In the end, the judges sided with Edwards, who was happy to push forward most of the fight. That ends Dumont’s streak, but Edwards has now won five straight.

Official Result: Joselyne Edwards def. Norma Dumont by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

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The UFC women’s bantamweight division does not find itself in normal circumstances these days, however. Champ Kayla Harrison is injured, recovering from neck surgery while Amanda Nunes waits in the wings, their super-fight on hold until Kayla heals up.

And so, on a six-fight win streak, Dumont (13-2) returns to action at UFC Vegas 116, taking on Joselyne Edwards, who like Dumont previously competed in the UFC’s now-defunct women’s featherweight division.

“I don’t like to stay out a year before I fight,” Dumont admitted during Wednesday’s UFC Vegas 116 media day. “Ideally, I’d like to fight every four months.”

While the logjam might bring about calls for an interim titles in other circumstances, Dumont previously tried to make such a fight happen with Nunes. “The Lioness,” coming back from retirement, wasn’t interested however.

“I don’t think so. It’s something we already tried, and Amanda wasn’t interested in the fight. I think what has to happen is them, Kayla and Amanda, have to fight. Then we can figure out who I fight next.”

Dumont, who sits at #3 and is fighting the #11 bantamweight in Edwards, waited as long as she could for a higher ranked foe, meanhwhile.

“Ideally I’d like to fight against people who are ranked above me or near me, but I spent a year and two months waiting for that and it didn’t happen,” Dumont revealed. “So I have to keep in action. Every fight is a risk, this fight is a risk also. I can’t stop because of this, I have to keep on moving forward. I think that is the best way to carry on.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 116 media day appearance by Norma Dumont above.

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“I know the challenge is up there, but I’ve seen the evolution of my fights. I’ve seen the results we’ve had and very happy that the result is coming. For such a long time I was like why am I putting in so much work and the results not coming and I’m not reaping what I sow,” Edwards told reporters through a translator on Wednesday.

“God is never late, time is always there, his time is always right.”

Edwards (17-6) broke down the stylistic matchup, pointing to what she believes are clear differences in approach between herself and her opponent. Confident in both her aggression and preparation, she made it clear she intends to bring a level of intensity Dumont has yet to face.

“She basically likes to score a lot during the fights, she’s about that volume out there, but if you see the aggressiveness that I bring to the table, if you see the fighter that I am, have you seen anything like that in any of Norma’s previous opponents? I don’t think you’ve seen that aggressiveness and a fighter like me,” she said.

“The people that I have, the material that I have to work with at Xtreme Couture, I have everything. I have fighters of every weight class, I have fighters of every style, and that makes me prepared to fight.”

She didn’t shy away from outlining what a victory could mean for her career, viewing Saturday’s bout as a potential springboard to something much bigger. With confidence in her momentum and preparation, she made it clear she’s ready to make her case for a title opportunity with a statement performance.

“Winning the fight on Saturday I just feel that I would be able to fight for the title. You get ready, you’re in that position, get ready for a camp to actually fight for that belt,” she said.

“I want to call out on it, I hope they say yes, and I think it would be a great opportunity by winning on Saturday.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Joselyne Edwards above. She faces Norma Dumont at UFC Vegas 116 on Saturday night.

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Dumont was looking for a sixth straight victory, having picked up wins over former UFC champion Germaine de Randamie and ex-bantamweight title challenger Irene Aldana, among others.

Viera was last seen picking up a win over Macy Chiasson; she was ranked #3 in the 135 pound weight class, and Dumont #4.

The pair traded, mostly single strikes, on the feet through the opening two minutes, adding in the odd leg kick. As the midway mark of round one passed, it was still a bit of a chess match, both fighters extremely upright, neither apparently thinking about a takedown. That changed when Viera did just that with about 90 seconds left in the round. Dumont briefly went belly down, nearly giving up her back. When she rolled, she had to contend with an arm-triangle choke, but Viera was high up. Still, she clamped down on it; Dumont “answered the phone” in defense, arm up alongside her head. She attempted to clear the legs of Viera, with no luck, but was able to gut it out to the horn.

In a close round, that had almost certainly sealed it for Viera. In round two, there was more back-and-forth, single strike exchanges, with Dumont adding in kicks and finally backing Viera up with a combination. Still, the threat of the takedown now loomed. It would come until the final two minutes, after Dumont had pressured, but Vieira easily changed levels, landed a double-leg, and planted Norma on her back. In a round she might have been winning to that point, Dumont had her guard closed, nowhere near the fence. Vieira, conversely, had lots of time to work and a sizeable opportunity to steal the round.

While Vieira failed to find a finish or even do much significant damage at the end of the second, Dumont was left looking at the possibility of needing a finish in the third. At best, the fight might be even, barring any judging peculiarities. And in the third, Vieira slowed things down, tying the fight up along the fence. Dumont couldn’t seem to break free, and soon enough, two minutes had ticked away off the clock.

Dumont would break free, land a chopping leg kick, and go back to work in the standup. She briefly had Vieira backed up the fence, unloading some lefts and rights. None of the blows had rocked Vieira or set up a finish however. A right hook caught Vieira and looked to bloody her lip, but she was still far from out. Dumont, despite a late flurry, couldn’t find the finish, sending the fight to the scorecards.

There, a bit of a surprise – in a split decision, it was Dumont awarded the win. Leaving Vieira’s coaches, including Jose Aldo, in disbelief.

Official Result: Norma Dumont def. Ketlen Vieira by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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Brazil’s Dumont found herself in a bloody battle with a game Irene Aldana, a Mexican who very much embodied her country’s fighting spirit when when refused to stop walking forward despite a nasty gash that had opened up on her forehead.

“I knew it was going to be that kind of match-up. That’s why I called her [out],” Dumont (12-2), now sitting on a five-fight win streak, said following the fight. “Actually I called Germaine [de Randamie] first, because I was also expecting that kind of aggressiveness, I knew there was some kind of war. But I ended up calling out Irene, I’m happy I got the match-up. I knew it was going to be a war, I knew it was going to be 15 minutes or war, I knew it was going to be 15 minutes of war or until somebody got knocked down.”

Dumont had an inkling that, regardless of the carnage, the fight was going to be allowed to continue. That’s because of who was officiating the bout: veteran referee Herb Dean.

“Every time I fight, I check who the ref is,” noted Dumont, who went on to add “knowing it was Herb Dean, I knew he was not going to stop the fight. Once I saw that she was cut, that’s why I just kept on hitting, because I knew the fight wasn’t going to be stopped.”

With five straight wins including victories over ex-champ de Randamie and now ex-challenger Aldana, Dumont finds herself in the title picture. Unfortunately, she’s still a fight or two away: Julianna Pena fights champ Raquel Pennington next month, while Kayla Harrison meets Ketlen Vieira in a fight that likely produces the next title challenger.

“I do hope that I get the [title shot] for the belt soon, but whoever those top four, five are, I just want them to be in line,” noted Dumont, “and I’m just going to take them one at a time.”

Asked about Harrison vs. Vieira in particular, Dumont observed that “I think it’s a fair fight, I think it’s a good fight. I think Ketlen deserves maybe a title shot after that if she goes through Kayla. And Kayla as well, given her record. Although she just arrived in the division, considering her track record I think she could be a good contender for the title.”

That said, Dumont believes Harrison is likely to win, and that she herself is the only fighter at 135 prepared to be champ.

“I don’t think Ketlen has the physical ability or the technical aspect to get a win over Kayla. I respect both of them, but I think the only person in this division who has the mentality, the physical aptitudes and the qualities to be a champion is me.”

Watch the full UFC 306 post-fight press scrum with Norma Dumont above.

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The pair found Dumont entering on a strong four-fight win streak that included a victory over former 145lb champ Germaine de Randamie.

Dumont flashed some stance switches in the opening round, while Aldana walked the Brazilian down. Dumont did a lot of circling, picking her moments, at times launching into short combos. Dumont’s right hand landed more than once, but Aldana’s forward momentum felt ever-present. Her left hook found a home, as did a kick, but Dumont’s low kicks were a more frequent occurrence through the first five minutes of the bantamweight fight. Dumont arguably had the edge in round one.

The forward march continued for Aldana in round two, with neither woman showing a real interest in taking the fight to the mat. Aldana fired her overhand right, but just past the midway mark it was Dumont firing back with a combo that saw the pace pick up, more heat behind those shots. As Aldana tried to close the distance, Dumont was landing with solid timing. The pace really picked up in the final minute, after which Aldana’s forehead was split open off a clash of heads, blood pouring out and flowing down her face and neck.

Aldana would need to deal with that blood in the third, though she kept walking forward as she had throughout the night. They finally came together in a clinch near the midway mark, Dumont actually seeking a takedown she ultimately couldn’t land as Aldana turned up the heat. Aldana, meanwhile, would land an elbow that bloodied Dumont, and left her with swelling and bruising to one side of the face. Still, Dumont held her own, answering back and negating Aldana’s reach advantage.

The bloody affair went the distance in the end, with 30-27 scores awarded to Dumont by all three judges.

Official Result: Norma Dumont def. Irene Aldana by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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After becoming a mother, forty-year old de Randamie looked to also become a title challenger once more, starting against eleventh-ranked bantamweight Norma Dumont and her three fight winning streak. Her Dutch kickboxing style matched up with the well-rounded style of the Brazilian, but was not enough.

GDR showed her Dutch kickboxing skill from the beginning with her punishing leg kicks. However, early on after one kick she tripped and got stuck on her back after going for a leg lock when Dumont jumped on top. Germaine regained full-guard and hung out there for most of the rest of the round, not getting up, but neither did Norma do much damage. GDR stood up with ten seconds left, but got taken down again at the horn.

In the second round she defended the first few takedowns and traded knees with Dumont in the clinch. GDR got the dominant position there and began to take over, landing elbows as well. Dumont eventually escaped, but not until her stomach had been tenderized. De Randamie landed a head kick that Norma somehow survived, and the next kick offering was turned into a takedown for Dumont. GDR stifled her from full guard for the rest of the round, making her earlier damage still likely meaningful enough to have her win the second round, especially with a closing seconds armbar attempt.

After a hug, the final round started with the score likely tied. The hands of GDR were on fire early, especially her jab, but Dumont’s first shot got her down. However, Germaine was able to use the fence to get back up, but got mat returned quickly. Norma stayed in side control, doing zero damage, for two minutes until GDR tried to explode up. At that point, Dumont took her back with both hooks in. GDR cleared one hook and worked to get up against the fence, but got mat returned again and ended the round on the bottom.

The fight was close, with low margins in damage, but Dumont’s control in the first and last rounds seemed to make the decision clear. That proved true, as all three judges awarded her the win by a score of 29-28.

Official Result: Norma Dumont def. Germaine de Randamie by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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de Randamie (10-4) will be in action on April 6, 2024 at UFC Vegas 89 in a bantamweight match-up with another ex-145lb’er, Norma Dumont (10-2). Laerte Viana was first to report news of the booking, with Dumont confirming the match-up.

The April 6 Fight Night card is the final event prior to the historic UFC 300 one week later.

Germaine de Randamie has not competed since October 2020, when she submitted Julianna Pena. The 39-year old ex-Strikeforce star has been with the UFC since 2013 but despite winning one title and challenging for a second has fought only sporadically.

“The Iron Lady” won the promotion’s now-defunct women’s 145lb title by defeating Holly Holm in 2017, but was later stripped of the belt after declining to fight Cris Cyborg, citing the latter’s history of performance enhancing drug use.

Dumont has won her last three fights, most recently winning a unanimous decision against Chelsea Chandler. The Brazilian was to have faced Yana Santos at this weekend’s UFC Vegas 84, but with Santos out of the bout, that fight was scrapped.

The UFC Vegas 89 card has two other fights reported for it, including an expected headliner between middleweights Marvin Vettori and Brendan Allen. The fights attached to the event are:

• Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen
• Valter Walker vs. Łukasz Brzeski
• Germaine de Randamie vs. Norma Dumont

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The bout will see Norma Dumont (10-2), arguably the most successful featherweight in the company left past Amanda Nunes’ retirement this past June, take on Yana Santos (14-8, 1NC). Santos competed for the UFC women’s featherweight title in 2018, and returned to the division for her most recent bout.

News of the booking was first reported by MMA Fighting on Wednesday. Dumont subsequently confirmed the match-up on social media.

Dumont is currently ranked #11 in the women’s bantamweight division, and Santos #8, despite both having most recently competed at featherweight.

Brazil’s Dumont, in fact, has never successfully made the bantamweight limit while fighting in the UFC. A November 2020 fight with Ashlee Evans-Smith scheduled for the weight class saw her weigh in at 139.5lbs, a full three and a half pounds over the non-title bantamweight limit.

As a featherweight, Dumont has won her past three fights, all via unanimous decision, against Danyelle Wolf, Karol Rosa, and Chelsea Chandler.

Santos is on the opposite trajectory currently, having lost her last three bouts, including a loss to Rosa most recently. In 2018, she made an unsuccessful challenge against Cris Cyborg, then UFC women’s featherweight champion, after which she immediately dropped back down to bantamweight.

Santos is a former Invicta FC bantamweight champion.

The only other match-up reported for the UFC’s Jan. 13, 2024 event, which does not have a venue, location, or broadcast plan announced, is a heavyweight affair that sees Andrei Arlovski take on Waldo Cortes-Acosta.

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