The rivalry between Ailin Perez and Norma Dumont may have ended inside the Octagon, but Pérez believes she knows exactly what sparked their bad blood in the first place.
“Fiona” defeated Dumont by unanimous decision in the UFC Vegas 121 co-main event, earning 29-28 scores across the board in a fight that was followed by another tense confrontation between the two bantamweights.
Now, Perez has offered her own explanation for why the rivalry became so personal.
Ailin Perez Claims Norma Dumont Was ‘Jealous’ Of Her
Speaking about the origins of their feud on The Ariel Helwani Show, Perez pointed to their previous appearances on the same UFC cards, alleged rejected matchups and Dumont’s relationship with UFC middleweight Marco Tulio.
“We shared cards together in the past where we were both the two big butts of the card, and I think there was a lot of jealousy and envy that she was feeling watching me be the star of the show,” Perez said.
“On top of that… there have been so many times where she’s declined to fight me and then come out and said that I declined to fight her. I definitely think it’s because she’s jealous of my butt, but also because of her boyfriend. Every time that we saw each other, he would look at me, and I think that would really bother her.”
The comments add another layer to a feud that had already produced several heated exchanges before their UFC Vegas 121 meeting.
The tension reached its strangest point at their final faceoff. After “Fiona” performed her trademark twerk, Dumont threw condoms toward her before following them with cash and telling her, “You pay whore with money.”
The animosity then carried into the fight itself, with both women exchanging taunts during the three-round contest. Perez ultimately edged “The Immortal” on the scorecards, but the drama continued after the final horn when security had to intervene as the fighters continued confronting each other.
