The UFC has cut No. 4-ranked women's bantamweight Norma Dumont.
“I feel like I need to experience some new environments now.”
The 36-year-old Brazilian announced Tuesday in a video posted on Instagram that she has been released from the promotion, with two fights still left on her contract. She leaves after a 13-fight UFC run, 9-4 inside the Octagon and 13-4 overall.
"I feel like I need to experience some new environments now," Dumont said in Portuguese, in a translation published by MMA Junkie. "We reached this decision recently — over the last month, I've been talking a lot with my team. Here's the situation: I still had two fights left on my contract with the organization. Even before my last bout, when I still had three fights to go, I already knew that I likely wouldn't be renewing my contract once those remaining two fights were finished."
Dumont said the maths no longer worked. With a title shot out of reach and no intention of re-signing, she started thinking about the end. "So, I started thinking: 'Well, I'm not going to be able to reach a title shot with just these last two fights, am I?' It reached a point where I began to wonder if I should just wrap up my career. I had already discussed with my partner that I planned to retire by the end of next year, or perhaps even sooner, because we want to start a family."
It is a sharp end to a run that, not long ago, looked like a title climb. Dumont joined the UFC with a 4-0 record and debuted on February 29, 2020, against Megan Anderson, who knocked her out in the opening round. It was the only stoppage of her 13-fight UFC run — every other bout went the distance.
From 2022 to 2025 she put together a six-fight winning streak. She outpointed Danyelle Wolf, Karol Rosa and Chelsea Chandler, then beat former women's featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie in April 2024 and Irene Aldana at UFC 306 that September. Her last win came on November 1, 2025, a split decision over Ketlen Vieira. Along the way she set the UFC women's featherweight records for most wins (five) and longest winning streak (five) — a division the promotion has since shut down.
The last two fights broke the run. Joselyne Edwards beat her by unanimous decision on April 25, 2026, stepping in after Yana Santos withdrew. Then Ailin Perez beat her by unanimous decision on September 26, 2026, at UFC Fight Night 289 in Las Vegas — a fight that ended with a confrontation between the two and security intervening.
As for what comes next, Dumont says boxing has the edge. "I have to admit that I'm leaning a little more toward boxing," she said. Talks have already begun, but everything is still in the very early stages and nothing is signed. She believes fans will see her box next year.
The timing stings for the division. On Saturday at UFC 334, Kayla Harrison defends the women's bantamweight title against Amanda Nunes in the co-main event at Madison Square Garden, with Ciryl Gane defending the heavyweight title against Josh Hokit in the main event. Edwards — the woman who beat Dumont in April — will be in New York to weigh in as the official backup for Harrison vs Nunes.
Dumont is not the first ranked bantamweight the UFC has cut this year. The promotion parted ways with Ketlen Vieira in May, after Vieira took a unanimous decision over Jacqueline Cavalcanti. The division that once carried Ronda Rousey, Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm now heads into its biggest fight of the year with one fewer name on the roster — and no obvious queue behind the champion.
