From personal attacks and confrontations to threats of knockouts and a heated faceoff, Norma Dumont vs. Ailin Perez’s bad blood had every ingredient to produce a banger of a grudge match. But despite the promise behind UFC Vegas 121’s co-main event, the actual showdown fell short of delivering, angering the fans in the process.

Both Perez and Dumont were highly animated before the bout. However, once the showdown got underway, their approach looked quite timid. Instead of hunting for a knockout, both female bantamweights kept spamming leg kicks and straight punches to score points.

Neither fighter showed much urgency to inflict real damage, and both kept the fight very measured. After three rounds of lackluster action, the bout ultimately went to the judges’ hands. During the announcement, Dumont wore a grin, believing she’d done enough to secure the victory. However, to her utter surprise, the judges declared Perez the winner via 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 unanimous decision.

The Brazilian stood in shock at the decision, mouth open, while her rival gloatingly celebrated right in front of her. Dissatisfied with the result, Dumont left the building immediately with her team without giving the interview.

Paul Felder, who conducted the fighter interview tonight, asked Perez about their underwhelming showdown; she clearly believed she’d dominated her opponent.

“How are you going to tell me there was no action?” Perez said. “I gave my best and I understand that she had some strikes. I felt the hits throughout the match-up, and throughout the entire fight I felt her hand and everything. But I won technically. I dominated her, and I won at the end of the day.”

Despite Perez’s confidence in her latest victory, the numbers show the actual fight was a very close encounter.

ESPN’s stats for the fight show that Norma Dumont landed 46 significant strikes total across the three rounds, while Perez answered with 37. In that regard, the Brazilian edged her opponent out by 9 significant strikes. Plus, each fighter landed 1 takedown, so the battle was even there too. However, where Perez shines is control time, at 3:41 compared to Dumont’s 0:40.

Perhaps the judges took a closer look at Perez’s control time, which ultimately tilted the fight in her favor. Otherwise, Dumont is clearly ahead in overall significant strikes.

Noticing that discrepancy, fans called out the judges for scoring the fight incorrectly, while also blasting the actual matchup as highly lackluster.  

Fans rage at judges after Ailin Perez wins grudge match vs. Norma Dumont at UFC Vegas 121 

After the official announcement, one fan didn’t waste time taking a shot at the judges, writing, “Judges are a disgrace. Every book had Dumont as a huge favorite going into the decision, and it’s unanimously scored for Perez. GTFOutta here.”

Following that, a different fan wrote, “Horrible scoring.” The string of backlash continued with another user commenting, “These judges suck so bad tonight.”

One fan was so disappointed with the scoring that they labeled it, “Robbery of the century.”

Clearly, fans noticed Dumont landing more strikes than her opponent, which the fight’s statistics also reflect. But this is the first time Ailin Perez’s win has come under scrutiny. So far, she’d mostly maintained a clear edge over her opponents, keeping her safe from any hiccups. Dumont, on the other hand, has faced allegations of robbery before.

Last year, the Brazilian defeated compatriot Ketlen Vieira in November via split decision, a result many believe should have gone the other way. The scoring showed that one judge didn’t agree with Dumont’s victory, but fans felt it was a clear robbery regardless.

Regardless of the controversy surrounding their last fights, one disappointed fan demanded the UFC cut both of them from the roster for ruining the night: “All that talk after the fight. If only you had 3 rounds to actually fight one another instead of stare and throw single shots.”

Here, the fan referred to the intense buildup between Dumont and Perez that had generated real intrigue behind the clash. The bad blood between them certainly hyped up the fight, but the actual showdown falling short has crushed that entire buildup.

Now, it’s not hard to imagine that Norma Dumont won’t be pleased with tonight’s outcome, and she might even demand a rematch. So it would be interesting to see whether the promotion actually runs it back based on fan reaction to the matchup, or plans something else for the two of them.