UFC Vegas 40: Ladd vs Dumont preview & best bets

Aspen Ladd is set to face Norma Dumont Viana in the main event of UFC Vegas 40 this Saturday night. This bout was originally supposed to be between Dumont and Holly Holm, but Ladd has stepped in on short notice after Holm was forced to withdraw from this card due to injury.

Ladd vs Dumont main event preview

Aspen Ladd (9-1-0) was supposed to fight Macy Chiasson in a bantamweight bout at UFC Vegas 38 earlier this month, but that fight was canceled after Ladd failed to make weight and had some health issues due to her weight cut. Ladd will move up in weight class to featherweight for this fight and will be entering the octagon for the first time since December of 2019. All but two of Ladd’s career wins have come by stoppage (six knockouts, one submission) and she is 4-1 in the UFC with three knockout victories.

Norma Dumont (6-1-0) pulled off an impressive upset win over Felicia Spencer back in May. Since losing her UFC debut via knockout to Megan Anderson, Dumont has scored back-to-back wins over Ashlee Evans-Smith and Spencer. Dumont lacks significant power, but her versatile striking has given her the clear edge in strikes landed in each of her last two fights, which were both wins by decision.

Ladd vs Dumont fight predictions

It will be interesting to see how Aspen Ladd performs at featherweight. She has had a history of struggling to make weight at bantamweight and seems to be a natural fit for a move up in weight that will give her the chance to fight at a weight she’s more comfortable at. Ladd also has outstanding power that could be even more potent with some additional weight.

Norma Dumont’s win over a very good fighter in Spencer makes it difficult to discount her chances here. Still, Ladd has such a clear power advantage in this fight that over the course of a long main event fight Dumont may get worn down. These betting odds likely wouldn’t be this close if Ladd wasn’t coming off of such a long hiatus due to injury. Assuming she is in good form this Saturday, her aggressive takedown attempts and powerful strikes should eventually connect and convert into a win.