Written by Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC
A bantamweight showdown between former champion Raquel Pennington and Norma Dumont is currently in the works for the upcoming Noche UFC 3 card taking place in San Antonio on Sept. 13.
Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the matchup to MMA Fighting on Tuesday following an initial report from AG Fight. The fight is targeted for this date and location, although no contracts have been signed at this time.
Assuming the fight gets finalized, Pennington would make her first appearance since losing a close, controversial decision to Julianna Pena that cost her the UFC women’s bantamweight title. Prior to that setback, Pennington had rattled off six wins in a row including victories over Mayra Bueno Silva, Ketlen Vieira and Macy Chiasson.
Now she’ll attempt to jump right back into title contention with an expected fight against another top ranked challenger in the division.
Riding a five-fight win streak, Dumont has made a slow and steady climb up the rankings while taking out opponents such as Irene Aldana, Karol Rosa and former UFC champion Germaine de Randamie. Overall, Dumont sports an 8-1 record in her past nine fights with her only loss coming in a split decision to Chiasson back in 2022.
If Dumont can get through Pennington, she might find herself ranked as the No. 1 contender in the division with new champion Kayla Harrison currently expected to face Amanda Nunes next.
The bantamweights are expected to join a growing lineup headed to Texas for the third ever Noche UFC card with the main event pitting one-time featherweight title challenger Diego Lopes against Jean Silva.