Norma Dumont cruised to a unanimous decision win over short-notice opponent Aspen Ladd on Saturday night, taking a lead early and riding that momentum to a scorecard victory. The win for Dumont headlined a UFC “Fight Night” card that took place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Ladd didn’t have an answer for Dumont’s striking in the early rounds of the fight. Dumont likely took the first three rounds due to her ability to resist takedowns and control Ladd on the feet.
Ladd’s corner explicitly told her that they thought she was down three-rounds-to-none heading into the fourth, stressing that she needed to pick up the pace.
Ladd showed urgency in the latter-half of the fight, even taking a round on scorecards. However, the work that she put together wasn’t enough to take the win away from Dumont.
Ladd stepped in and took the main event bout just last week, replacing prior opponent Holly Holm. Ladd was moving up a weight division, leaving the bantamweight class just weeks after she missed the 136-pound limit for a bout earlier in the month.
Ladd had been out of the cage since 2019, with numerous cancelled bouts keeping her sidelined for the past two years.
The win on Saturday was Dumont’s first in a UFC main event bout. She scored her first UFC featherweight win earlier this year, defeating former title challenger Felicia Spencer.
Ladd was making the main event walk for the second time. Her previous UFC main event appearance was also a loss, getting stopped in just 16 seconds by Germaine de Randamie in 2019.
Saturday’s main event was only UFC’s third women’s featherweight bout of the year thus far.
Veteran Arlovski Stops Felipe’s Momentum
Experienced UFC fighter Andrei Arlovski put and end to Carlos Felipe’s current rise up the heavyweight division in the co-main event, taking a unanimous decision win over him after three rounds of action.
The fast-paced stand-up battle saw both fighters work at a quick pace, unloading with a high volume of shots in all three rounds. Cardio became an issue late in the fight, as fatigue weighed on the heavyweights.
Arlovski out-landed Felipe early in the fight, with the younger fighter having a stronger end to the battle.
The matchup was a classic pairing of a veteran gatekeeper and rising prospect.
Felipe entered the fight having won his previous three via unanimous decision over the past year.
Arlovski, an MMA pro of over two decades, was riding the momentum of a recent scorecard win over Chase Sherman.
Miller Earns Finish Win In Record-Breaking Performance
Jim Miller scored a stoppage win in a record-breaking victory this weekend, finishing promotional newcomer Erick Gonzalez early in the second round with punches.
Gonzalez stopped Miller only moments into the second round with a left hook. He then landed a few ground and pound shots before the referee stepped in.
The first round was close, as both fighters landed shots that visibly rocked their opponent. Miller did his damage late in the round, leaving Gonzalez tired and hurt as the first frame closed out.
Miller’s win on Saturday was his 38th UFC appearance, making him the athlete with most fights in UFC history. He previously was tied for the record with fellow veteran Donald Cerrone.
The win also put Miller back into the win column after losing in his two previous fights.
Gonzalez, a regular in Combate Global (formerly known as Combate Americas), was making his UFC debut.
Fiorot Uses Striking To Earn Third Win of 2021
Manon Fiorot’s strong rookie year in the UFC continued on Saturday night, defeating Mayra Bueno Silva via unanimous decision to pick up her third win in the promotion.
Fiorot’s high volume of strikes on the feet allowed her to sweep scorecards in the end, even taking a 10-to-8 score in one round on a judge’s scorecard.
Fiorot earned two stoppage wins in the UFC earlier this year, defeating Victoria Leonardo and Tabatha Ricci.
Bueno Silva took a draw outcome earlier this year against Montana De La Rosa.
Landwehr Wraps Up Performance With Third-Round Anaconda Submission
Underdog Nate Landwehr kicked off the main card with a return to the win column, submitting Ludovit Klein in the third round with an anaconda choke. The submission came at the end of a grinding performance for Landwehr that saw him overhwhelm Klein at moments with strikes.
Landwehr continued his notorious style of being a scrappy striker in the fight, coming forward with flurries of strikes.
Landwehr had taken a loss in his previous appearance, having been stopped in February by Julian Erosa.
Klein had also tasted defeat his prior time around, losing to “The Ultimate Fighter” winner Mike Trizano.
The Rest of the Card
The featured prelim saw Bruno Silva made a late comeback to stop Andrew Sanchez in the third round, stringing together a series of punches to end the fight via stoppage. The win was Silva’s second consecutive win since joining the UFC roster.
Danny Roberts won in his first appearance since 2019, taking a close split decision win over Ramazan Emeev.
Luana Carolina fought to a unanimous decision on the prelims, defeating short-notice opponent Loopy Godinez at flyweight. Carolina’s win was a mix of using her striking and fending off numerous takedowns. Godinez had fought just last week, scoring a submission win for her first UFC victory.
Danaa Batgerel had a short and dominant win on Saturday, stopping Brandon Davis in just over two minutes with punches. Davis was making his return to the promotion after attaining a four-fight winning streak on the regional scene.
Ariane Carnelossi picked up her second UFC win to open the evening, taking promotional newcomer Istela Nunes into deep waters before securing a rear naked choke submission. Before the finish, the strawweight fight was close on the feet.
Quick Results:
Main Card (7:00PM EDT / 4:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / TSN 5)
Bout 10: Norma Dumont def. Aspen Ladd via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Andrei Arlovski def. Carlos Felipe via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Jim Miller def. Erick Gonzalez via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:14)
Bout 7: Manon Fiorot def. Mayra Bueno Silva via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Nate Landwehr def. Ludovit Klein via Submission, Anaconda Choke (RD 3, 2:22)
Preliminary Card (4:30PM EDT / 1:30PM PDT) (ESPN+ / TSN 5)
Bout 5: Bruno Silva def. Andrew Sanchez via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 2:35)
Bout 4: Danny Roberts def. Ramazan Emeev via Decision, Split
Bout 3: Luana Carolina def. Loopy Godinez via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Danaa Batgerel def. Brandon Davis via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:01)
Bout 1: Ariane Carnelossi def. Istela Nunes via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 2:57)
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