Norma Dumont pitches interim title fight against Kayla Harrison as division slows: “It’s the fight that makes sense”

With Julianna Pena on the shelf, Norma Dumont wants an interim UFC title fight against Kayla Harrison.

It’s not exactly a secret that the UFC women’s bantamweight division has slowed to a crawl. Since 2022, there have been just four fights for 135-pound gold. Last October in Salt Lake City, Julianna Pena earned her second run with the title, scoring a controversial split-decision win over Raquel Pennington. Post-fight, ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ called for a longshot trilogy bout against the still-retired Amanda Nunes. However, talks quickly shifted to Kayla Harrison.

The Judoka also last fought at UFC 307 in October, scoring a decision victory over Ketlen Vieira. As of now, Julianna Pena vs. Kayla Harrison hasn’t been announced, and there’s also no timetable for the championship bout. With the division currently at a standstill, Norma Dumont believes it’s time for a change. Speaking in a recent interview with MMA Junkie, ‘The Immortal’ discussed the state of the women’s 135-pound division.

In the interview, Norma Dumont stated her belief, that Julianna Pena could be possibly avoiding Kayla Harrison. With that in mind, the Brazilian has no problem stepping up to fight the Judoka for an interim UFC title. Currently riding a five-fight winning streak, Dumont is one of the hottest fighters at 135 pounds. She was last seen in the cage in September, scoring a lopsided decision victory over Irene Aldana.

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(via Zuffa LLC)

Norma Dumont calls for interim UFC women’s bantamweight title fight against Kayla Harrison

Given her current winning streak, ‘The Immortal’ believes she’s the only possible fighter who could face Kayla Harrison for an interim title. If Julianna Pena can’t fight soon, Norma Dumont wants it known that she’s available.

“It’s a little bit weird, the division right now,” Norma Dumont stated in the interview on Thursday through an interpreter. “It seems that Julianna is not fighting Kayla, or is avoiding Kayla, or whatever her problem is. I think that the right fight would be me against Ketlen [Vieira] or Raquel [Pennington], which is the fight to make since we’re right up there in the division.” (h/t MMA Junkie)

He continued, “If Julianna and Kayla doesn’t happen, I could fight Kayla for an interim title. That’s kind of what I think is fair so that the division evolves. … If Julianna vs. Kayla doesn’t happen, I’m the one in line for an interim title shot. It’s the fight that makes sense. There’s nobody else.”

What do you make of these comments from the UFC women’s bantamweight contender? Do you want to see Norma Dumont vs. Kayla Harrison?