UFC returns to action in Las Vegas this week with its Fight Night card at Meta Apex, and a simmering rivalry headlines the co-main event. Ailin Perez and Norma Dumont’s bad blood just turned even more personal, with the Argentine revealing details of their heated confrontation. 

In an interview with MMA Fighting, Perez revealed that Dumont approached her in the UFC PI bathroom nearly a year ago, accompanied by several of her friends.

“Norma is a dirty person because at the PI when she ‘beat’ Ketlen Vieira, because in my opinion she lost that fight, but she won,” Perez said. “She came looking for me in the PI bathroom with all her friends; there were a bunch of girls, talking about how I’m going to be next, that she’s going to knock me out.

“And I said: ‘Ok, fine, let’s go, I’m waiting for that fight, why not?’ And then my friends came in too to separate us a little because we kind of wanted to fight a little, but she has no code.”

According to Perez’s account, the confrontation unfolded after Norma Dumont defeated Ketlen Vieira via split decision at UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs. Onama on November 01, 2025. The Argentine bantamweight didn’t compete on that card, but it appears she was at the UFC PI for training purposes. Still, it remains unclear what exactly provoked the Brazilian to tackle her so abruptly. However, Perez firmly believes the trigger is their heated feud that has simmered for years.

In fact, Ailin Perez recounted an earlier tense standoff between them.

Back in July 2023, the pair shared the UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Bueno Silva card, where each notched an impressive victory. Perez defeated Ashlee Evans-Smith, while Dumont edged out Chelsea Chandler. After securing their respective wins, ‘Fiona’ revealed she had a fierce faceoff with Dumont.

“It also happened when we shared a card a few years ago,” Perez added. “She fought, and I fought too, and we had a staredown. A little bit of ego, Argentina, Brazil. Inside the octagon, I’m going to respect her, you know? The door closes, and that’s it, whatever happens, happens, right? But outside of all that, she’s a woman who has no code.” 

Now, while Ailin Perez unleashed a full tirade against her rival, Dumont has also recently offered her version of events. She claimed the 31-year-old Argentine secretly recorded her training sessions at the Performance Institute and went on to brand her “mentally ill.”

That said, this isn’t the first time Perez has landed in a heated confrontation at UFC PI. She previously altercated with Joselyn Edwards at the institute ahead of UFC Vegas 82 in 2023.

After accusing Norma Dumont of confronting her, Ailin Perez also noted that her adversary declined the fight multiple times before finally agreeing to this week’s UFC Fight Night showdown. 

Ailin Perez accuses Noma Dumont of ducking  

Alongside the details of the confrontation, Ailin Perez also revealed that she’d wanted to fight Norma Dumont for a long time. But she accused the Brazilian of repeatedly turning down fights against her, most recently this February when she fought Macy Chiasson at UFC Fight Night Mexico.

“She turned down fighting me many times,” she added in the same interview. “The last time she said no was in Mexico, when I fought Macy. And look, she lost to Macy Chiasson, she lost to Joselyne Edwards, and those girls are my daughters. So, strategically and statistically, this fight is mine, you know?”

The 35-year-old Brazilian hasn’t specifically addressed her rival’s ducking allegations regarding UFC Mexico. But Dumont has insisted that it was Perez who “ran away” from her. Regardless, the Argentine feels those accusations no longer matter since the bout is already booked, and she’s chasing a finish to close out their heated rivalry once and for all.

“And whether she says I turned it down, or I say she turned it down or she’s scared, none of that matters,” Perez added. “What matters is that on September 26th, we are going to fight. I am ready to finish Norma Dumont. That’s what matters to me, you know?”

With such a personal rivalry building up, this weekend’s UFC Fight Night event, which has drawn less buzz given its lack of marquee names, could suddenly grab plenty of eyes.

Also, the winner of this grudge match could move steadily toward a title shot. At present, Dumont sits at No. 2 and Perez at No. 4 in the bantamweight division. So, either fighter could stake a claim to challenge the winner of Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes, set for UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden.

Now it remains to be seen whether the fight delivers after such a heated buildup.