Norma Dumont Upset With Holly Holm’s Withdrawal From UFC Fight Night 195 Headliner

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Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight Norma Dumont is not pleased by how Holly Holm handled her recent injury.

Scheduled to face Aspen Ladd in the main event of UFC Fight Night 195, Brazil’s Dumont complained about the way former Holly Holm decided to leave the fight. Holm vs. Dumont was initially its headliner, but Holm suffered a knee injury and Ladd will be moving up a division to take her place. Dumont joined the podcast of Mundo da Luta on Combate on Tuesday to speak about this lost matchup.

“I don’t really know what happened to Holly,” Dumont admitted, “but the impression is that she left because she didn’t want to fight or wanted to do something else. She said it was a knee injury, but said that until December she will fight, how are you going to fight if you have a knee injury? [Fighting] is my profession. I need to fight to pay my regular bills, it’s a matter of survival. I need the money; I need to work. I got really mad about that.”

In the interview, Dumont thanked Ladd for stepping in on short notice to save the fight, and promised an event better one on Saturday.

“I think it will be a much more fun fight than against Holly, because Aspen comes much more open, comes to the frank fight,” the Brazilian noted. “She has the game similar to the two wrestlers I faced. So, it’s not a problem. My takedown defense is pretty good so it doesn’t bother me. Not much has changed in the cage after all. But outside, it weighs [more], because Holly has a name, she is a former champion. It was like a pre-title fight, and against Aspen, I don't think so.”

In the event of a win, the seven-fight vet promised to challenge Holm after her performance.

“Winning Aspen, I’m going to ask for the fight against Holly,” Dumont explained. “I hope she improves her knee, we’ll be back in January. I want to fight for the title with Amanda [Nunes], but I want to have the feeling of looking my path before [fighting] for the belt, and see a former champion I’ve always admired, who I watched fight since I started.”