Norma Dumont thinks Amanda Nunes turned down Interim UFC fight out of fear of losing

Norma Dumont was the first to raise her hand when she found out Kayla Harrison was out of her scheduled UFC 324 superfight against Amanda Nunes this past January. Kayla who suffered a neck injury that required surgery left Amanda Nunes without an opponent after agreeing to come out of retirement and make her UFC return. Norma Dumont was vocal saying that she was willing to step in and fight Amanda Nunes even on short notice for an Interim UFC Championship belt, however Amanda Nunes quickly shot down that idea saying that she only fights “For the real belt”, which left Dumont on the outside looking in.

Having won 6 UFC fights in a row, Dumont is looking to extend her streak to 7 when she faces former Cris Cyborg training partners Joselyne Edwards as the Co Main event of UFC Vegas 116 taking place this saturday at Meta Apex. Dumont originally drew Yana Santos however an injury forced Yana out of the fight and Joselyne Edwards accepted the fight on short notice. Dumont’s willingness to fight a replacement fighter is something she wishes Nunes was willing to do.

“It was a bit frustrating for me” Dumont said to MMA fighting. “First because I accepted the fight on 10 days notice and she didn’t want it, Saying she wanted the undisputed belt. It’s frustrating because if she came back just for Kayla, then I imagine she’ll retire after that fight. I feel like there might be some fear of losing. For example, I hear a lot of people telling me “you’re going to fight the No. 11, it’s a very risky fight.’ Man, only peopel who don’t trust their hands are afraid of risk. I know my work, I know my level, I know what I’m going to do. The feeling I get is, ‘I don’t want to fight Norma because it’s a tough fight. If I lose, I lose the big fight with Kayla.’ I get it, it’s buisness. But to me, it feels like there’s some fear of losing to me, that’s how I see it.”

Nunes has not fought since 2023 when she earned a decision over Irene Aldana before announcing her retirement from the sport. While she ‘retired’ as a two division champion, many fans witnessed her refuse to give Cris Cyborg a rematch at 145lbs, instead waiting until Cyborg finished her UFC contract with a win over Felicia Spencer and leaving as a free agent before making her return to featherweight. Do you think Cris Cyborg Vs Amanda Nunes 2 is a possibility after Nunes faces Judo Kayla Harrison?