Biggest Winners, Loser From UFC Vegas 40

UFC Vegas 40 went down last night (Sat., Oct. 16, 2021) live from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the headlining act, Norma Dumont cruised to a one-sided win over Aspen Ladd (see it again here). In the co-main event, Andrei Arlovski defeated Carlos Felipe after 15 minutes of action.

Biggest Winner: Jim Miller

In his 38th fight inside the Octagon, Miller came up big when he needed it most. Coming into his fight against Erick Gonzalez, Miller was on a two-fight losing streak and had lost three of his last four fights. Another loss would’ve been detrimental for the longtime veteran’s career, but the scrappy lightweight proved there is plenty more left in the tank by knocking out Gonzalez in the second round. In doing so, Miller picked up his first win in over a year and also scored a $50,000 performance of the night bonus, his thirteenth post-fight award.

Runner Up: Norma Dumont

It may not have been a win over Holly Holm — the person she was supposed to fight last night — but taking out Ladd boosted Dumont’s win streak up to three, improving her overall record to 8-1. It was a clear win for Dumont — although not that exciting — in her first-ever headlining act, which will help make her case for a shot at the division title. Of course, she will need one or two more wins to get there but she is making all the right moves in her journey to a potential title shot. And who knows, she could very well end up fighting Holm next, which could expedite the process.

Biggest Loser: Aspen Ladd

Ladd received a lot of heat after she failed to make weight a couple of weeks ago, but she was looking to get back on the fan’s good graces after she took a late replacement fight against Norma Dumont at featherweight. Unfortunately, it simply didn’t work out well for her, putting in a lackluster performance en route to losing a unanimous decision. After starting her career a perfect 8-0, Ladd has now dropped two of her last three fights inside the Octagon. Furthermore, she simply doesn’t look like the same aggressive fighter she was early on in her UFC career. To make matters worse — not for her — Ladd’s team came under fire for some questionable tactics in between rounds. Nevertheless, Ladd will have to go back to the drawing board and literally start from scratch because not only does she have to go back to her winning ways, she has to decide which division she wants to continue her career in.

For complete UFC Vegas 40 results and coverage click here.