Norma Dumont vs. Joselyne Edwards Odds
| Dumont Odds | -245 |
| Edwards Odds | +200 |
| Over/Under | 2.5 (-500/+340) |
| Location | Apex Center, Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Bout Time | 10:15 p.m. ET |
| TV/Streaming | Paramount+ |
| UFC Vegas 117 odds as of Saturday and via DraftKings. Bet on UFC Vegas 117 with our DraftKings promo code. | |
Check out the Norma Dumont vs. Joselyne Edwards prediction for UFC Vegas 117 on Saturday, April 25, along with my betting preview and breakdown.
With Yana Santos being forced out due to an injury, we have what is frankly a much more interesting fight between Norma Dumont and Joselyne Edwards, who is stepping in on short notice for Santos. Both women would be in title contention if the women's bantamweight division wasn't being held up by Kayla Harrison's injury, but a win for either keeps their name near the top of the list if and when the division moves past a potential Harrison bout with Amanda Nunes.
Here's my Dumont vs. Edwards pick and prediction.
Tale of the Tape
| Duont | Edwards | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 13-2 | 17-6 |
| Avg. Fight Time | 14:52 | 12:16 |
| Height | 5'7" | 5'8" |
| Weight (pounds) | 135 lbs. | 135 lbs. |
| Reach (inches) | 67" | 70" |
| Stance | Orthodox | Orthodox |
| Date of birth | 10/1/1990 | 9/29/1995 |
| Sig Strikes Per Min | 3.89 | 4.61 |
| SS Accuracy | 50% | 53% |
| SS Absorbed Per Min | 2.12 | 3.24 |
| SS Defense | 65% | 50% |
| Take Down Avg | 1.56 | 1.43 |
| TD Acc | 56% | 40% |
| TD Def | 68% | 61% |
| Submission Avg | 0 | 0.6 |
Joselyne Edwards might be the UFC's most improved fighter over the last two or so years. It brings me no pleasure to say that as someone who faded her in her last fight, but she's made considerable strides since this time in 2024.
At that point, she was 4-5 in the UFC with two of those wins coming via split decision, and missed weight thrice in the span of five fights. Since then, she's undefeated with four straight stoppage victories and three straight wins on the scales.
I mention the weight because Edwards is coming in on short notice for this contest, with her last fight roughly two months ago in February. She's been on the card for a few weeks, but won't have had a full camp. It wouldn't shock me to see her trouble with the scales return, or if a heavy weight cut left her depleted in the later stages of the fight.
Outside of those issues, it's hard to find anything bad to say about the version of "La Pantera" we've seen over her last four fights. She's found success in a variety of different matchups, with the well-rounded skill set and wisdom to force her opponents into fights that benefit her. Against former kickboxer Nora Cornolle, she forced Cornolle into the fence for the bulk of the first round, before eventually landing a pair of takedowns in the second — including one slam that nearly knocked Cornolle out — before finding a choke. I was extremely impressed by her ability to out-muscle Cornolle, one of the bigger, stronger bantamweights on the roster.
Against the brawling Priscilla Cachoeira, Edwards evaded 32 of the 50 significant strikes that came her way, while picking "Zombie Girl" apart on the feet with accurate striking en-route to a first round knockout. While she's broadly a grappler, the evolution of her game is a big part of her recent run, and will likely serve her well against Dumont this weekend.
That's because Dumont is also mainly a grappler, whose only bantamweight loss (her UFC debut was in the now-defunct women's featherweight division) came when she was taken down six times. Overall, she's outlanded her opponents 17-9 in takedowns.
She comes into this fight with a six-fight winning streak, and had Amanda Nunes not decided to come out of retirement, would likely be fighting for a title. Like Edwards, she initially struggled on the scales since being forced down to 135lbs, but has made weight in each of her six wins.
Unlike Edwards, there's nary a stoppage in the bunch, with five unanimous and one split decision wins. Most fans and media sided against Dumon on that splitty, which came in her most recent bout against Ketlen Vieira.
My concern for Dumont is that she's now on the wrong side of 35 and wasn't especially impressive in the win over Viera, her only fight since September of 2024. She was never the fastest or most explosive fighter, and is at least slightly past her athletic prime after years of a difficult weight cut. Even if she wins this fight, a potential title opportunity may come too late for "Big Norm" even if she wins.
If the wrestling broadly cancels out here — as I expect it to — Dumont will be at a noticeable disadvantage in terms of striking speed and output. Edwards is bigger, faster, and more powerful on the feet, and it wouldn't shock me if she's also the better grappler at this point. However, I'm worried about Edwards' cardio down the stretch, while Dumont has consistently been able to turn in 15 solid minutes.
Dumont vs. Edwards Pick, Prediction
This fight reminds me of last week's (men's) bantamweight main card bout, in which I viewed the underdog as likely to be the better fighter, but with potential cardio issues. In that fight, I took the underdog Phillips both on the moneyline and via the round 1 alternate point spread, with the latter hitting and making it a profitable venture.
It should come as no surprise, given that preamble, that I'm doing the exact same thing again this time. Edward's -1.5 first-round point spread is a whopping +320 at DraftKings, so I'm putting half of a unit on that play, plus half on her moneyline, which is now +200 via BetMGM.
If you want an even bigger swing using the same logic, Edwards inside the distance is +700, while her Round 1 finish prop is as big as +2000 at Hard Rock Bet. I'm not personally playing those since I have enough action here, but I view both as good options.
Billy's Picks: Joselyne Edwards +200 (BetMGM) | Round 1 -1.5 Points +320 (DraftKings)
