LAS VEGAS — Canadian featherweight Felicia (FeeNom) Spencer lost a split decision to Brazilian Norma (The Immortal) Dumont on a UFC Fight Night card Saturday.
The judges scored it 30-27, 28-29, 29-28 for the Brazilian.
Dumont (6-1-0) replaced the injured Danyelle Wolf on the card at the UFC's Apex production facility.
It marked the first outing for the Montreal-born Spencer (8-3-0), who now calls Orlando home, since last June when she lost a decision to featherweight champion Amanda (Lioness) Nunes at UFC 250.
Dumont was coming off a decision win over Ashlee Evans-Smith in November. She lost her UFC debut to Megan Anderson in February 2020.
It was a cagey opening with Spencer looking to be the aggressor, often leading with leg kicks, while Dumont looked to counter-punch. The two clinched at the fence late in a close first round with Dumont scoring with a nice knee.
Dumont, looking comfortable in moving up a weight class, clipped Spencer with a good combination in the second round. She landed a good body shot later in the round, letting her hands go.
Dumont caught a kick and took Spencer down early in the third round. Spencer got back to her feet and kept coming forward, eventually driving Dumont to the fence. Spencer scored with several elbows in the clinch and was finally able to take her down with a minute remaining.
Two of the three judges gave Spencer the third round, with one also awarding her the second.
"I wasn’t completely confident I had won," Dumont said through an interpreter. "I knew it was a tough fight, I knew I had to push the pace and play the game."
After winning her first seven bouts, Spencer has now lost three of her last four — albeit against championship-calibre opposition in Nunes and Cris Cyborg (at UFC 240 in July 2019).
In the main event, Rob Font, ranked third among bantamweight contenders, won a 48-47,50-45, 50-45 decision over No. 4 Cody (No Love) Garbrandt.
Font held a 180-62 edge in significant strikes over five rounds.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2021
The Canadian Press
