March started with hiccups for Dana White & Co., as the promotion works extensively to finalize the UFC Vegas 116 fight card. The event is scheduled for April 25, and so far, the promotion has officially announced a few fights, including the headliner Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley. Unfortunately, an injury forced the cancellation of one of the announced bouts.

On April 25, UFC bantamweight Brazilian star Norma Dumont and Yana Santos were going to resolve their longstanding rivalry. Previously, the duo had scheduled their fight for January 2024 at UFC Vegas 84: Ankalaev vs Walker, but #5-ranked Santos withdrew after suffering a broken nose during training camp. Dumont just confirmed on Instagram that the same issue has forced another withdrawal.

“FIGHT UPDATE: Norma Dumont vs. Yana Santos is off for #UFCVegas116 due to Santos suffering an injury 📰: Dumont IG Story,” wrote MMA journalist Kevin on X.

With the fight now off, it remains unclear whether the UFC will schedule ‘The Immortal’ for another matchup. If not, it could affect her goal of challenging champion Kayla Harrison, as she stood just one fight away from a title shot. The cancellation disappointed many fans, who are now labeling Dumont the “unluckiest” fighter on the planet on social media.

In her nearly six-year UFC run, Norma Dumont has faced multiple opponents who pulled out due to injury. For instance, Raquel Pennington withdrew at UFC Noche last year, and Yana Santos pulled out earlier in 2024 with an undisclosed injury. Holly Holm also pulled out in 2021 due to a knee injury, and Bea Malecki withdrew in the same year for unknown reasons.

While these withdrawals might seem natural, the Brazilian star disagreed. In fact, last year, she accused her opponents of deliberately avoiding fights against her.

Norma Dumont slams Holly Holm and fellow UFC  competitors for dodging her

Since her debut under Dana White’s promotion, Norma Dumont has established herself as a force to be reckoned with. She started her journey in the women’s featherweight division, entering the UFC with an undefeated record. After her 145-pound debut, ‘The Immortal’ quickly built an impressive resume, going 6-2 in the featherweight division. However, after former champion Amanda Nunes retired, the UFC shut down the division, which it originally created for Cris Cyborg in 2017.

With few fighters remaining, including Norma Dumont, the promotion closed the division after nearly nine years. As a result, Dumont has continued competing at bantamweight since 2023, where she remains undefeated. Despite her success, she still doesn’t get many fights, which, according to her, shows that some opponents hesitate to face her.

“The excuse [other UFC contenders] had was they wouldn’t fight me at featherweight,” Norma Dumont said on MMA Fighting. “The UFC tried to book me against Irene [Aldana], [Holly] Holm, Miesha [Tate], [Pannie] Kianzad, all these girls, and the answer was always the same: We won’t fight at featherweight.

And we had the same problem now, their excuse was they didn’t believe I would make weight. UFC already wants to book me against top-five fighters, but they don’t accept it,… I think it’s just excuses. They would have accepted it if it was an easy fight.”

Now, with another setback hitting Norma Dumont’s title dream, it’s even more fascinating to see how she will shape her next chapter in the UFC.