Norma Dumont exits UFC early to pursue boxing as family plans shape future

Norma Dumont has left the UFC with two fights still remaining on her contract, the featherweight announcing her departure on Instagram and revealing that a switch to boxing is her most likely next step.

Dumont (13-4), who went 9-4 during her five years in the promotion, said she had known for some time that the UFC was unlikely to renew her deal once it expired. That knowledge, combined with personal plans to start a family with her fiancé and fellow UFC fighter Marco Tulio (14-3), led her to agree with him that she would retire from competition by the end of next year at the latest.

“I’m here to announce my official departure from the UFC,” Dumont said. “I want to say that I’m very grateful for all these years — it was eight years with them, it was wonderful for me, it’s where I built my career, it’s where I built my financial life, I changed my life and the lives of the people around me, I met Marco Tulio, so for me it was something incredible.”

The 36-year-old added that she has already received two offers: one from an MMA promotion to compete for a title, and another to compete in boxing. She admitted the boxing deal is the more financially attractive of the two and said fans should expect to see her in a ring rather than a cage next year.

“Both offers are very good, but I confess I’m more inclined toward boxing,” Dumont said. “It would be an incredible opportunity and I think you’ll see me in boxing next year. Financially, it’s worth it, and I think I’ll have a lot of fun. Since I got this offer, I’ve even been excited to get back to training.”

Dumont made her UFC debut in 2020 and exits the promotion on a two-fight losing streak. Her most recent outing was a unanimous decision defeat to Ailin Perez in September, a result she disputes, believing she did enough to win.