A pair of top-ranked contenders have reportedly signed on for a fight that could decide the first challenger for UFC Champion Kayla Harrison.
Currently sitting at #4 in the UFC women’s bantamweight rankings, Norma Dumont was scheduled for a huge opportunity against former divisional queen Raquel Pennington at this year’s edition of Noche UFC on September 13 in San Antonio, TX.
The fight would have marked Pennington’s first outing since losing her women’s bantamweight title to Julianna Peña at UFC 307, but unfortunately “Rocky” was forced out of the fight due to injury and Dumont was left without an opponent.
She won’t get to compete at Noche UFC, but Ag Fight reports that Dumont will still have a chance to potentially earn a title shot when she meets Ketlen Vieira at a UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas on November 1.
Irene Aldana of Mexico (red gloves) fights Norma Dumont of Brazil (blue gloves) during Riyadh Season Noche UFC 306 at The Sphere. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Dumont is currently on a five-fight win streak dating back to 2022, and last year “The Immortal” earned decisions over former UFC titleholder Germaine de Randamie and former title challenger Irene Aldana to break into the Top 5 in the women’s bantamweight division.
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Ranked two spots ahead of Dumont at #3, Vieira joined the UFC as an undefeated prospect in 2016 and collected four wins before being knocked out by the aforementioned Aldana at UFC 245.
Since 2020, the Brazilian has fought some of the biggest names in the UFC women’s bantamweight division. While she’s come up short against Pennington and current UFC Champion Harrison, the 33-year-old also holds victories over former titleholders Miesha Tate and Holly Holm.
Ketlen Vieira (red gloves) fights Kayla Harrison (blue gloves) fight during UFC 307 at Delta Center. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Vieira rebounded from her unanimous decision loss to Harrison with a win over Macy Chiasson in May but unfortunately missed weight ahead of the matchup.
The fight with Dumont could decide the next challenger for Harrison, although fans are still waiting to see if UFC Hall of Famer Amanda Nunes is serious about making a comeback to square off with the Olympic gold medalist.
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A two-time PFL Women’s Lightweight Tournament Champion, Harrison arrived in the UFC to considerable fanfare in 2024 and submitted former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holm in the second round at UFC 300.
Kayla Harrison (blue gloves) prepares to fight Julianna Pena (not pictured) in a bantamweight title bout during UFC 316 at Prudential Center. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Following her win over Vieira, Harrison took on Peña in the first fight of her second reign with the women’s bantamweight belt and submitted “The Venezuelan Vixen” with a kimura late in the second round at UFC 316.
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