Rising contender Aspen Ladd put the mixed martial arts (MMA) world on notice at today’s UFC Sacramento early weigh-ins.
She made championship weight for her main event against No. 1 contender Germaine de Randamie tomorrow night. However, Ladd was concerningly shaking and appeared genuinely out of it. The Californian was unable to step back onto the scale for the traditional pose fighters do after weighing in. Concerns understandably arose for her health, as she has had issues making bantamweight before.
A doctor’s clearance soon came from California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) physician Dr. Gary Furness. They were more than willing to let Ladd fight no matter how bad it may have seemed this morning. He claimed Ladd is absolutely okay:
“She did slightly overshoot her weight cut, but she was not dangerously dehydrated. She had moist mucus (sic) membranes, her vital signs were stable, and within a few minutes she was starting to orally hydrate and was back to normal. So she is cleared to fight.”
Furness said Ladd’s state was simply due to ‘nerves,’ a view that was disagreed with by some:
“A little bit of nerves. She’s part of the main event and I believe she had missed weight in a previous fight. That was contributing to it, I believe.”
Ladd’s Own Response
Ladd predictably agreed with that sentiment at this evening’s UFC Sacramento ceremonial weigh-ins (via MMA Junkie). She said she’s feeling fantastic, but admitted it was exceptionally tough to make weight for this fight:
“I feel fantastic, now. I mean it’s always a little bit rough, that was particularly rough but I made it, I’m feeling good, and I’m ready for tomorrow.”
She’s no doubt one of the fatest-rising female fighters in MMA, but her issues making 135 pounds are well documented. Her April 2018 bout with Leslie Smith was canceled when she failed to make it to the scale. She was also seen shaking and depleted similar to how she was today before last October’s UFC 229.
Yet she also rehydrated and rebounded to decimate Tonya Evinger at that event as well. The future is bright for the 24-year-old Ladd, but making such a drastic weight cut will only get tougher as she ages.
Is it already time for Aspen Ladd to consider a weight class change?
