Yahoo Movies Dana White: Aspen Ladd a talented fighter, but UFC release ‘had to happen’
LAS VEGAS – Dana White says the UFC had no choice but to release Aspen Ladd.
Ladd (9-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) was cut by the promotion Tuesday after three fight cancellations caused by her missing weight. The 27-year-old was scheduled to face Sara McMann at UFC Fight Night 210, but the bout was scrapped after Ladd came in at 138 pounds, two pounds over the bantamweight limit.
Ladd’s weight cut was stopped by commission officials. The miss marked the final straw for the UFC.
“We tried to work with her,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters Tuesday at the UFC Apex. “She’s a great kid. She’s a really nice person. 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 just had to happen. Not something you want to do, but something that had to be done.”
Ladd had a long history of weight-cutting issues during her almost five-year UFC tenure. In September 2018, she missed weight for her fight with Leslie Smith, which was scrapped after Smith declined to fight an overweight opponent. In July 2019, she shook on the scale in a frightening scene when attempting to make weight against Germaine de Randamie. She ended up hitting the mark but lost by TKO in just 16 seconds.
Weight-cutting issues have taken a toll on Ladd, who started 8-0 as a professional. Ladd departs from the UFC having lost three of her past four, including back-to-back against Norma Dumont and Raquel Pennington.
