Double Jeopardy

Karol Rosa thinks she has the requisite tools to excel in two Ultimate Fighting Championship weight classes, though the line between well-founded confidence and blind ambition can often prove blurry.

The 28-year-old Brazilian will return to the women’s featherweight division for the first time in nearly five years when she tackles Norma Dumont as part of the UFC Fight Night 222 undercard this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All six of Rosa’s appearances inside the Octagon—she has compiled a stellar 5-1 record since joining the organization—were scheduled for 135 pounds, though bouts against Vanessa Melo and Bethe Correia ultimately took place at a higher catchweight.

“I’d like to continue as a bantamweight, but I’d also like to fight again as a featherweight,” she told Sherdog.com. “I want to fight in both weight classes. I want a chance to be champion. Since there aren’t many fighters at 145 pounds, I think that if I beat Norma, who’s coming off some good wins, I want the chance to fight for that belt.”

Rosa has not fought since she overcame a point deduction due to an illegal knee strike and posted a majority decision over Lina Lansberg at UFC 280 in Octagon. She split her pre-fight camp for Dumont between the United States—she spent time at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas—and Brazil, where she completed her preparation at the Escola de Lutas Niteroi academy.

“I always train three to four times a day,” Rosa said. “There are several great female fighters here [in Brazil]—experts in muay thai, jiu-jitsu, boxing and so on. I wake up early, do my physical preparation, train MMA in the afternoon and then jiu-jitsu at night. The very last thing I do is some pad work or practicing some MMA moves. That’s what happens on most days. It’s usually six to seven hours a day. I only rest on Sundays, even though I still do some morning runs.”

Dumont enters the cage with a decent amount of momentum. She has rattled off four victories across her past five outings, a split decision defeat to “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 28 winner Macy Chiasson her only misstep. Dumont last appeared at UFC 279, where she outpointed Danyelle Wolf to a unanimous decision in their three-round encounter on Sept. 10.

“Norma has improved a lot over her last few fights,” Rosa said. “She’s a very good striker, and she’s strong. I feel that there are still holes in her game since she’s primarily a boxer. I mostly use muay thai, so I feel that it will make the difference during our fight. She’s good, but I have more weapons with which to beat her.”