If nothing else, whoever wins this fight should be in good standing
for whatever counts as the women’s featherweight title picture.
Norma
Dumont’s UFC debut was not the most promising in nature. A raw
regional bantamweight who had physically overwhelmed some
lower-level competition before getting the UFC call, the Brazilian
was thrown into a fight against the decidedly featherweight-sized
Megan
Anderson and ate a knockout in short order. To her credit, “The
Immortal” seems to have learned some lessons from that loss. After
some weight issues proved, at least for now, that she is no longer
a bantamweight, Dumont spent 2021 racking up impressive wins over
Felicia
Spencer and Aspen Ladd,
showing some solid defensive wrestling to go along with an
effective counter-heavy striking style. Both wins felt like they
resulted a bit more from the flaws of her opponents than anything
else, so it will be interesting to see how Dumont fares against a
more offensively potent fighter. Chiasson ran through the
featherweight bracket on “The Ultimate Fighter 28” in the back half
of 2018, putting her on the UFC roster as a talented but green
prospect who has essentially had to learn on the job. Chiasson’s
tall frame and aggressive offense was enough to rack up a few wins
without much trouble, but her last few fights have definitely been
part of the learning curve. Chiasson ha's tried to mix in some
wrestling at times but can be mistake-prone, and while she can be a
terror in the clinch, her lanky frame leaves her open to being
overpowered by some of the squatter fireplugs in the bantamweight
and featherweight divisions. Dumont fits the bill as far as her
build in that last regard, but she was not overwhelming enough
against Spencer or Ladd to make it a given that she will be able to
control this fight.
FEELY'S PREDICTION: Given that Chiasson figures to
be the much more damaging—if inconsistent—striker and could make
any wrestling or grappling exchange an even affair, the bet is that
the American can string together enough to stay ahead on the
scorecards in what might be an ugly fight. The pick is Chiasson via
decision.
UFC News & Features
