October 2018 MMA Athlete of the Month: Aspen Ladd

Photo Credit: Mike Roach



Going back to her days even as an amateur, there was no doubt Aspen Ladd was destined for stardom in the sport. As an amateur she tasted defeated only once and it was to Cynthia Calvillo, Cynthia herself destined for big things.

Making her pro debut with Invicta FC, a first round defeat of Ana Carolina Vidal, Aspen brought her skill set to a bigger stage in front of a bigger audience and even more became aware of what a bright future Aspen had. Her time in Invicta saw her not only win, but beat other highly thought of opponents. Names like Amanda Cooper, Sijara Eubanks and others. And she wasn't just winning, she was winning convincingly.


Photo Credit: Unknown

Those wins led to the inevitable, a shot with the UFC. After illness delayed her debut, she finally made it facing Lina Lansberg in what was expected to be her toughest test to date. She passed that test stopping the very tough Lansberg in round two. Now, with the UFC audience, it wasn't just the die-hard fans who were aware, now the whole sports fanbase got to see what Aspen Ladd was capable of.

Ladd was next set to face Leslie Smith, however she was unable to make weight. Ladd did what you are supposed to do, but what not all do, she owned up to her mistake and did all she could to get the fight to proceed. However, an agreement could not be reached and the bout was cancelled. We would have to weight for her sophomore UFC fight.

That fight would come October 6th at UFC 229 against women's MMA pioneer Tonya Evinger. It was made clear that many see stardom in Aspen as she was actually made the betting favorite in the bout despite the many accomplishments of her opponent. However, many felt Evinger might be too much too soon for Ladd. Aspen clearly didn't feel that way as her confidence was apparent.

Any doubts anyone had about Aspen Ladd's skill were eliminated as she not only beat Evinger, she dominated the fight. The fight went to the ground quickly and Ladd was in a dominant position the entire way, on top of her opponent, getting her back, wherever a quick scramble may have gone, Ladd remained in the dominant position, landing strikes till eventually the ref had to stop it in round one.


Photo Credit: Unknown

With the bantamweight division in flux, with some going down to flyweight, champ Amanda Nunes fighting featherweight champ Cris Cyborg, Aspen made it clear she is a legit contender to become the queen of the division. She has the ground game, the striking, everything needed to become the best in the division. While it may be a bit before she gets that opportunity, it is hard to see anyone knocking her off of that path.