Norma Dumont's Perez Grudge: 'What I Want Without Getting Arrested'

Norma Dumont isn't dressing this one up. Ahead of her Sept. 26 meeting with Ailin Perez on the prelims of UFC Vegas 121, the top-ranked Brazilian says she finally gets to do the one thing she's been wanting to do to the #5-ranked Argentine — legally, and for money. Perez, 13-2 with four knockouts and two submissions, is riding a decision win over Macy Chiasson into what has quietly become the most personal grudge on the card.

Dumont claims Perez dodged the booking for as long as she could before agreeing to meet at the APEX. Now that the contract's signed, Dumont's messaging is simple: she plans to hurt her, and she plans to do it early. She's not interested in the war of words that Perez thrives on. She just wants the cage.

The Bad Blood

The animosity spilled over in August when Perez posted a video accusing Dumont of having to 'distract' her boyfriend — UFC middleweight Marco Tulio — from watching Perez train at the Performance Institute. Dumont's response was blunt: she says Perez has secretly filmed her multiple times, tagged Tulio repeatedly until he blocked her, and does all of it to bait people into reacting. Dumont insists it doesn't move the needle for her, then spent a fair bit of time explaining exactly how much it doesn't.

Tulio weighed in too, calling Perez's promotional approach bad for the sport and low-level, and pledging that Dumont will bring the win back to Chute Boxe in Sao Paulo. Dumont, for her part, offered no personal compliments at all. Technically, she'll concede Perez has legitimate wrestling and a couple of good takedown variations — but she rates the jiu-jitsu and striking as limited.

Why the Anger Helps

Here's the interesting wrinkle: Dumont believes she fights better when she can't stand the person across from her. She pointed to previous friction with Chelsea Chandler and Irene Aldana, arguing that when she's calm she overthinks, and when she's angry she gets aggressive. She's promising this one doesn't reach the scorecards, guaranteeing it won't last the full 15 minutes.

The stakes go beyond bragging rights. Dumont is technically coming off an April decision loss to #3 Joselyne Edwards — a verdict she still disputes, insisting a fair scorecard would have her sitting on a seven-fight run. She's also watching the top of the division shake loose: with Amanda Nunes (23-5) set to face Kayla Harrison at UFC 324 on Nov. 14, Dumont figures the winner walks away either way and the belt opens up. She says she won't sit around waiting for a title shot — but she's positioning herself for exactly that.