Aspen Ladd and Norma Dumont faced off in a Featherweight clash tonight (Sat., Oct. 16, 2021) at UFC Vegas 40 from UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. It wasn’t pretty, but Dumont earned the victory after 25 minutes.
Dumont began the fight with an active jab. Ladd moved her head, advancing and looking for the occasional counter. Dumont started to land the jab more often, and she connected on a right hand over the top. It was a slow-paced round, but Ladd really threw almost nothing. Dumont won the opening frame through simple activity, landing a few jabs and throwing a decent amount of punches overall.
Ladd started firing her own jab a bit more often into the second, but otherwise, the fight continued at its slow pace. After taking a few jabs, Ladd pushed into the clinch two minutes into the round. Dumont circled away to freedom and stuck another jab. For the rest of the round, Ladd didn’t throw much and absorbed jabs at a moderate pace, giving another round to Brazil’s Dumont.
The exchanges picked up a bit to start the third. Dumont dug a body shot and stuffed a takedown. Dumont put together a good combination, but Ladd responded with a takedown attempt, securing her best position of the fight along the fence. Dumont defended the shot, though Ladd did score with an elbow. Hard right hand connected for Dumont. Dumont stuffed another shot and reversed her foe into the fence briefly. Dumont finally threw a couple kicks in the final minute of the round.
Down three rounds, Ladd pushed into the clinch immediately to begin the fourth. Despite Ladd’s best efforts, Dumont denied the clinch and returned to open space. Dumont returned to the jab. With a couple minutes remaining, Ladd landed a nice kick and tried to flurry afterward. Unexpectedly, Dumont locked up the body lock and secured a takedown. Dumont did little from top position, and Ladd managed to sweep with just about 20 seconds remaining. Ladd finished the round throwing strikes from the half guard.
With five minutes remaining, Ladd needed a finish.
Ladd drove her foe into the fence early, but again, Dumont was able to defend the position well. This time at least, Ladd prevented her foe from escaping to the center, prolonging the clinch exchange. The takedown did not emerge, but Ladd managed to land some decent shots from close range, bloodying up her opponent’s nose. It was better work from Ladd, but it was nowhere near enough for a comeback.
Yikes, this was certainly a main event that happened. Let’s just all be glad it’s over …
Result: Norma Dumont defeats Aspen Ladd via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
For complete UFC Vegas 40: “Ladd vs. Dumont” results and play-by-play, click HERE!