One of the fights fans will get to enjoy and witness before two titles are put on the line late at UFC 274 is Norma Dumont vs. Macy Chiasson in the featherweight division. Both women have shown extreme talent as they have risen through the ranks, both having made it to the point in fighting very big name contenders without suffering more than one loss apiece in their careers.
For Dumont, coming into the UFC with a 4-0 record and falling short in her debut against eventual title challenger Megan Anderson. She would then defeat the always game Shlee Evans-Smith and another title challenger in Felicia Spencer directly after her bid at the belt. Having already fought two UFC contenders, Dumont finally headlined her first UFC event with fellow up and comer Aspen Ladd and dominated the scorecards to a victory. The Brazilian Sanda champion, nicknamed the immortal in just eight fights, has proven to be one of the most promising future stars in the UFC let alone the featherweight division.
Opposite her, however, Chiasson has also barely faltered along her very impressive career. After stints in Caged Warrior Championship and Invicta, Chiasson found herself on the 28th installment of the Ultimate Fighter. She would win the tournament in her UFC debut against Pannie Kianzad and then go on to beat two more fighters inside the UFC before picking up her first loss to Lina Lansberg. Not to be deterred, wins over Shanna Young and Marion Reneau thereafter would bring her to a contender-level fight with former title challenger Raquel Pennington. Chiasson would lose this bout but prove having contested with Pennington readily while the fight lasted that she deserved to be amongst the division’s elite and will look to bounce back against Dumont.
Dumont vs. Chiasson will air on the UFC 274 live stream this Saturday night. Fight fans can order the UFC 274 PPV here to watch every fight live.
Betting Odds
The latest Norma Dumont vs. Macy Chiasson betting odds have Dumont as the favorite before UFC 274.
- Dumont: -220
- Chiasson: +180
Breakdown
The key to victory for Macy Chiasson in this fight is to make the octagon as small as possible for Dumont. Although Chiasson enjoys the height and reach advantage, Dumont is one of the best in the division at picking apart her opponents on the outside with her jabs and kicks coming from her Sanda background. The more physically imposing fighter in Chiasson also has a little bit of labor to her shots compared to the quick and light-footed Dumont, but Chiasson has shown to strive in grittier positions up close.
Norma Dumont wants to float on the outside, her jab is magnificent and she will switch stance and use it like a fencer to prod and poke long. Between her jab and lead leg kick to the knee she is able to consistently manage her preferred range. By doing so she already puts herself in a good position scoring wise and this, in turn, puts pressure on her opponents to take risks entering which is where Dumont’s counter right cross becomes a significant tool. She also has a very heavy right leg kick and a right overhand which she throws over the left slip. This in particular is a common counter when she catches her opponent becoming too predictable with body kicks.
Where Chiasson strives more so will be up close and dirty. She has a great uppercut in particular, but where I believe she will be at her most advantageous is in the clinch where she has a very tight plum and beautiful knees. She is especially good at clamping onto this position as wrestling exchanges against the fence are broken. On the outside, Chiasson is a bit slower but has a good left hook which she likes to throw on the end of her combinations, especially after the right straight and should it catch clean has some good sting to it. If she cannot walk Dumont onto the fence, she doesn’t typically show the kind of explosion to move between ranges and into the pocket so countering will be a key skill she needs to display.
Both women are very good at reversing position on the fence as they like to make use of their length. This practice has obviously become a staple focus in both of their camps, so except should one woman be able to initiate the clinch on the cage, that we see a good battle for position. Dumont likes the outside trip from the over under position, but in the same position Chiasson also consistently looks to drag her opponent down with something midway between a judo throw and muscle through. Neither are complete guard players, and Dumont in particular tends to revert to almost exclusively defensive tactics on the ground in order to minimize ground and pound. Chiasson tends to show a good tight top game at the expense of potential ground and pound so in this case we may see Chiasson maintain control without much actual offense occurring. Dumont’s top game is tricky, she is good at constantly switching which side she tries to pass on so her opponent is forced to keep up to her, however in the past she has also become overzealous and lost position due to aggression and also because she switches angles so much she sometimes floats to light and gets swept.
Prediction
Overall, I think that Chiasson has to make things claustrophobic if she wants to win. On the feet, I see Dumont’s superior movement allowing her to move in and out and avoid the big strikes from Chiasson while utilizing kicks and jabs in order to pick her apart. Chiasson’s best bet is in the clinch with her knees or grinding out control time on the floor, but I think that Dumont’s skills in constantly staying on her toes and moving will make it difficult for Chiasson to get her on the fence and trapped.
Prediction: Norma Dumont to win via decision