There wasn’t much buzz about UFC Fight Night 195’s main event beforehand and the actual fight proved to be dreadfully dull, with Aspen Ladd looking completely uninspired from start to finish as Norma Dumont chipped away at her with the jab and stopped her late takedown attempts from the clinch to secure a decision win.
Round One:
The main event is underway in Las Vegas.
Jab for Dumont. She lands it again. Another jab and Ladd attempts to land over the top in response. Ladd with lots of head movement in a somewhat awkward style. Dumont picking her moments to snap out that fast jab.
Another jab from Dumont and Ladd countered with a straight right. Now a jab from Ladd. Ladd tries to go for the double jab and this time it’s Dumont who counters.
Right hand over the top from Dumont now. Snapping jab again for her. No takedown attempts from Ladd yet, but it’s surely only a matter of time as she’s not really offering anything offensively here.
One-two from Dumont doesn’t find the mark. Jab again from Dumont. Quite spell and then Ladd does hand a solid left hand that Dumont acknowledges and then land a jab of her own.
Round Two:
Ladd pumps the jab without finding the mark. Dumont with her own cleaner jab. Jab again and then Ladd fires off a short flurry of punches in return.
Jab for Dumont. She lands it again. Another lands. Ladd with a calf kick. More jabs from Dumont. Ladd finally drives into a takedown attempt against the cage, but for now Dumont is defending.
Not much happening from the position and Dumont gradually manages to work away from the cage and gets back to striking range.
Harder jab from Dumont. Another lands. Ladd misses with a body kick and Dumont puts another jab in her face. Dumont almost two rounds into the fight and still not really getting anything going, enabling Dumont to just chip away at her at her leisure.
Jab continues to land for Dumont and then a hard oblique kick. Ladd lands a leg kick of her own.
Round Three:
Ladd’s corner were urging her in no uncertain terms to get going inbetween rounds, lets see if she takes heed.
Leg kick for Dumont and back to sitting behind the jab. Jab from Ladd. Dumont jabs and Ladd attempts to counter with a takedown, but it’s stuffed.
One-two from Dumont comes off the arms. ladd looks to exchange just for a moment and then clinches up against the cage looking to work on a takedown.
Ladd struggling to work a takedown and Dumont eventually manages to turn into her and break free, though Ladd does land a knee to the body in there.
Dumont with a one-two. Clean jab from Dumont. Now a one-two again. She circles around Ladd landing the jab, then Ladd attempts the takedown, and comes up empty-handed again.
Push kick from Dumont. Now an oblique kick. Push kick from Ladd. Ladd pumps out three jabs, but doesn’t connect. She goes into the clinch just as the round ends.
Round Four:
Another lecture from Ladd’s corner, urging her to put together more than one punch and work to get into range for takedowns, but that message just doesn’t seem to have sunk in so far, so we’ll see if anything changes in the final two rounds.
Ladd starts by putting together a combination that doesn’t connect, but then works to the clinch.
Not really anything happening for Ladd apart from a few knees and then Dumont turns into her and separates yet again.
Push kick for Dumont. She times a nice jab. Dumont lands the jab and Ladd with one too. Dumont’s jab snaps Ladd’s head back.
Ladd with a kick with purpose and then tries to work punches behind it. A little more encouraging from her and then into the clinch. However, Dumont bursts forward with a trip and gets her down instead.
Dumont working in full guard. Ladd attempting to scramble and Dumont looks to pass guard, but it ends in a stalemate as Dumont settles back into the guard.
Suddenly with 30 seconds of the round remaining Ladd does a very nice sweep to end up on top and then starts to land her trademark vicious ground and pound with punches and elbows. It’s good work from her at last, but not enough time here to work towards a finish.
Round Five:
Ladd lands a punch and works into the clinch as she tries to get more aggresive. Dumont able to peel away from the cage, although still in the clinch as they traverse to the other side of the Octagon. Ladd able to press her to the cage again.
Ladd working on a single here, but it’s a struggle. Dumont turns into her, but Ladd does the same in reverse and lands knees. Now an elbow from Ladd. Another lands.
Dumont with a knee to the body. She lands another as Ladd continues to toil in her efforts to work this takedown attempt.
Another strike upstairs from Ladd and Dumont does now have some blood leaking from her nose. Another knee to the body from Dumont.
A knee and a couple of short left hands from Dumont. Ladd with an elbow upstairs. Ladd out of ideas and Dumont gets busy with repeated knees to the body to end the round.
Decision:
One of the worst main event’s in recent memory then, but credit to Dumont for making effective use of her jab throughout and shutting down Ladd’s rare attempts to take her down on the way to a unanimous decision victory (49-46 x2, 48-47).
