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UFC Fight Night: Aspen Ladd vs. Norma Dumont was not the most loaded card of 2021 by any means. Unfortunately, a lot of forgettable action in the octagon will mean fans won’t really be talking about it for long, either.
UFC Fight Night: Aspen Ladd vs. Norma Dumont featured a lot of slower fights, and while the event did see some big winners, whether any of them move into title contention is another thing entirely.
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Despite this, any win in the UFC is worth plenty these days, thanks to the fluid nature of the promotion’s roster. With that in mind, here are the five biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Aspen Ladd vs. Norma Dumont.
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#5. Norma Dumont – defeated Aspen Ladd in a UFC featherweight bout
Featherweight contender Norma Dumont picked up the biggest win of her UFC career last night. She defeated hot prospect Aspen Ladd in her first-ever headline bout.
However, the fact that the fight was one of the dullest UFC headliners in recent memory means that it’s hard to rank Dumont highly on a list like this.
The clash went all five rounds, with Dumont being awarded the win by all three judges, although one judge inexplicably thought Ladd had won two of the rounds. Quite how that was possible is anyone’s guess.
Dumont basically shut Ladd down in this fight. She used a jab to keep the American at a distance for the majority of the time and stopped most of her takedown attempts. When Ladd did take the Brazilian down, the ferocious ground-and-pound that allowed her to make her name at 135lbs was sorely lacking.
Unfortunately, telling offense from Dumont was also lacking, as she didn’t seem to have much urgency and seemed happy to keep Ladd at bay while never really risking her lead.
The win moves her to 3-1 in the UFC. Now that she's on a three-fight win streak, a shot at UFC featherweight champion Amanda Nunes might be within her grasp. Will the UFC give it to her off the back of this showing, though? It’s doubtful, which is why she can’t rank any higher here.
#4. Manon Fiorot – defeated Mayra Bueno Silva in a UFC flyweight bout
While she didn’t finish Mayra Bueno Silva, Manon Fiorot still did enough to pick up the second win of her UFC career last night.
‘The Beast’ was simply light years ahead of her opponent in terms of her striking. While the fight was a little lacking in truly explosive moments, we still learned plenty about Fiorot’s overall game.
Fiorot beat Silva to the punch throughout the fight, and when she was unable to finish her off, she mixed things up with some takedowns and solid groundwork from the top position. Despite being on offense for all three rounds, the Frenchwoman never really slowed down, either.
Her UFC record now stands at 3-0 and her MMA record improves to 8-1. It’s pretty clear that in one of the promotion’s weaker divisions, Fiorot is probably a future title contender.
Does she have enough to really test current UFC flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko? Right now, clearly not. However, the raw tools are there to suggest that she might be able to at some point in the future. That alone makes her one of last night’s bigger winners.
#3. Bruno Silva – defeated Andrew Sanchez in a UFC middleweight bout
If the UFC had a reward for the comeback of the night, it would almost certainly have gone to Bruno Silva last night. After struggling for traction in the opening two rounds of his fight with Andrew Sanchez, Silva came through big in the third with a thunderous knockout to pick up his second UFC win.
‘Blindado’ was favored by many UFC fans coming into last night’s event, but evidently, they hadn’t really reckoned with Sanchez’s underrated wrestling game. ‘El Dirte’ was able to ground Silva - largely at will - over the first two rounds, shutting down his dangerous striking in the process.
However, as the fight went on, both men became tired and began to throw illegal strikes in the process. ‘Blindado’ then began to gain more confidence in getting up from underneath Sanchez.
In the third round, he sensed The Ultimate Fighter season 23 winner slowing down. From there, he poured it on with a vicious combination until Sanchez wilted under the heat.
Silva will almost certainly need to shore up his takedown defense to progress further in the UFC middleweight division, but this victory was promising for his future. If he can close that hole, who knows how far he can go? At worst, he was comfortably one of last night’s big winners.
#2. Andrei Arlovski – defeated Carlos Felipe in a UFC heavyweight bout
If you rewind back a decade, the idea that Andrei Arlovski would return to the UFC and have more success – let alone still be winning fights in 2021 – would’ve been laughable.
Once considered one of the planet’s most feared heavyweights, ‘The Pitbull’ was in the midst of a skid that had him on the verge of retirement in 2011.
Somehow though, Arlovski made his way back to the UFC in 2014, and while he hasn’t been in title contention for a long time now, he keeps on trucking. He picked up his latest win last night over Carlos Felipe.
Sure, the win wasn’t hugely impressive. Arlovski used his smart footwork, movement and striking to pick apart the plodding Felipe early. However, he then gassed out badly and ended up in a bit of a brawl late, risking his victory in the process.
In the end, though, he’d built up enough of a lead on the scorecards to take a clear-cut unanimous decision, which now puts him on a surprising two-fight win streak.
How much longer Arlovski can keep going is anyone’s guess. He’s 42 now and feels vulnerable to a brutal knockout every time he steps into the octagon. However, the fact that he’s still able to win UFC fights at this stage of his career is remarkable – making him one of last night’s big winners.
#1. Jim Miller – defeated Erick Gonzalez in a UFC lightweight bout
When you add in Andrei Arlovski’s victory over Carlos Felipe, it’s probably fair to argue that last night’s UFC event was one for the veterans. That’s because the biggest winner on show was Jim Miller, who picked up a thrilling knockout win in his 38th octagon appearance.
Admittedly, Miller wasn’t faced with an elite-level opponent in the form of Erick Gonzalez. ‘The Ghost Pepper’ was making his UFC debut, and his so-so record suggested doubts that he’d be able to hang with a veteran like Miller.
However, early on, he did well – tagging the veteran with punches and forcing him to shoot for a desperate takedown.
As the fight went on, though, Miller became more comfortable. He began to hurt Gonzalez with his left hand in particular.
The end came in the second round. The New Jersey native slipped a sloppy kick and simply waylaid ‘The Ghost Pepper’ with a left haymaker, knocking him senseless.
Miller may not have enough left in the tank to move back into the UFC lightweight division’s upper echelon. However, based on this evidence, he has more than enough to continue to truck lower-level opponents. On a forgettable night of action, he was definitely the biggest winner.
