Aspen Ladd released from UFC following third weight miss, Dana White says move “had to happen”
Former UFC bantamweight challenger Aspen Ladd has been released from the promotion following the third weight miss of her time with the UFC. Ladd’s most recent miss came at UFC Vegas 60 two weeks ago when she missed weight for her fight against Sara McMann as she came in at 138 pounds, and McMann refused to accept the fight and it was pulled from the event.
The first time Aspen Ladd missed weight in the UFC was back in 2017 when she came in at 137.8 for a fight against Leslie Smith which was just her second scheduled fight in the promotion, the bout was scrapped due to Smith’s unwillingness to compete given the difference. It was the same situation last year when Ladd was pulled from the fight after she became very ill after missing weight prior to her matchup against Macy Chiasson.
Following the three weight misses which all led to cancelled fights and multiple injuries, it appeared the UFC had no choice but to release Aspen Ladd from the active roster. After missing weight for her scheduled fight against Chiasson, Ladd and former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate were engaged in a back-and-forth in regards to multiple weight misses for Ladd.
Speaking to the media this week following the final episode of the 2022 Contender Series season, UFC President Dana White stated that the decision to release Aspen Ladd was one that had to happen. He would also say that part of the job of a professional fighter is to make weight.
Dana White says Aspen Ladd's UFC release "had to happen."
"She's a great kid. She's a really nice person."
Full story: https://t.co/mXM0MlB5Sg pic.twitter.com/WtgHwODubc
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) September 28, 2022
“We tried to work with her. She’s a great kid, she’s a really nice person and it’s never fun when you have somebody who’s actually talented, she’s a talented fighter, but part of the job is making weight. She’s not made weight so many times, it had to happen. Not something you want to do but something had to be done.”
It’s an unfortunate ending to the UFC run for Aspen Ladd, who is 9-3 in her professional career and just turned 27-years old this year. There’s no word as to what the next move will be for Ladd but before joining the UFC she did fight for Invicta FC. If she were to return to Invicta FC, Ladd would have to figure out if she wants to fight at bantamweight or featherweight and show she can consistently make weight if she wants another shot at the UFC.
