Norma Dumont almost knocked out Chelsea Chandler at UFC Vegas 77, but she eventually had to settle for a decision win, when Chelsea Chandler raced away from her after being rocked with a strike early in the fight.
Chelsea Chandler lost her debut UFC fight last night (Saturday, July 15, 2023) against Norma Dumont by unanimous decision inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The battle was possibly the UFC’s last women’s featherweight fight.
As Chandler turned and dashed across the cage after taking in a heavy blow from Dumont, UFC color commentator Daniel Cormier busted out laughing. “if there was a door, [Chandler] would have been out of there.” Dominick Cruz joked.
Chandler was literally trying to run OUT of the octagon #UFCVegas77 https://t.co/B8SwO88dgQ
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) July 16, 2023
As the fans witnessed this bizarre event, they quickly took to Twitter to react. “Got hit so hard she tried to quit the UFC lmfao”, A fan wrote. “Her flight mode got activated mid fight”, another fan expressed.
Got hit so hard she tried to quit the UFC lmfao https://t.co/K9FtbyJn5r
— AllDay 🚀 (@JkiddroxTV) July 16, 2023
🤣🤣🤣🤣 her flight mode got activated mid fight https://t.co/Yv1qQ2r90A
— Qaris (@Qaris_) July 16, 2023
I ain’t never seen a takeoff in the middle of a ufc fight lmao 😂 she was running 😂 #crazyvideos #UFCVegas77 #chandler #dumont #comedy https://t.co/twXzd5amfv
— CTModSquad (@CtModSq) July 16, 2023
When the fight ended, all three judges scored it 30-27 for Dumont, who won her third consecutive fight and improved her record to 6-1 in her last seven contests.
Dumont also settled a score with Chandler when the competitors exchanged words backstage during the UFC Vegas 77 weigh-ins, prompting security to interfere.
Chelsea Chandler fails to back up her trash talk but escapes knockout
As bizarre as it was to witness the fighter sprint across the octagon to dodge another punch, Chandler’s tactic worked because Dumont couldn’t follow up with more damage. Unfortunately for Chandler, things didn’t get any better as she continued to receive the worse of exchanges throughout the bout as Dumont repeatedly brought her to the ground.
Dumont and Chandler had a lot of animosity before the bout, and they even clashed backstage during the face-off post their weigh-ins on Friday.
Tensions were high leading up to their clash on July 15, as the two fighters engaged in a fierce brawl. During the weigh-ins, Dumont and Chandler got into a brief but heated verbal spat before event staff members interfered to separate them:
Dont desrespect your opponent! That shit backfires! pic.twitter.com/cFzxsOYagr
— Alex Davis (@Alexdavismma) July 14, 2023
As per reports from MMA Fighting, When Amanda Nunes handed down her championships at UFC 289, Dumont addressed the uncertain future of the women’s featherweight division in the aftermath of Nunes’ retirement. With Nunes gone, UFC President Dana White disclosed that the 145-pound women’s category may be nearing its end.
Dumont, who has put her name up to challenge for the featherweight belt in Nunes’ absence, definitely hopes that the division does not go away. While the argument was heated, Dumont came out on top, as Chandler will be known for her “Forrest Gump” run.