When former bantamweight champ Miesha Tate took aim at Aspen Ladd’s failed weight cut this weekend, accusing the up-and-coming bantamweight of cheating the scale, it raised many eyebrows. None more so than Ladd’s own coach and partner Jim West, who took to Twitter to settle the score.
“Miesha Tate you are a coward. Remember when you lied saying we wanted you to fight late notice at 145 but you went on record saying we wanted it at 135 and we know for a fact you said you didn’t want that tough of an opponent? Trust me have good inside information.”
Aspen Ladd’s Coach Jim West Fires Back at “Dumb F*ck” Tate’s Cheating Accusation
Initially, Tate had Tweeted “It’s one thing to miss weight, it’s another thing to try and cheat the scale and use every excuse in the book to not weigh in properly. Everyone saw you cheat and still came in a lb over. I bet you were every bit of 139.”
West continued, blasting Miesha Tate for her accusations, reminding the former champ of the reality of weight cutting for female mixed martial artists. He referenced Ladd’s “damp” clothes, likely a result of a last-minute sweat session in an attempt to remove those stubborn final pounds.
“Cheat? You dumb f*ck she weighed in with damp sweats, shorts, sock, sweats etc which was 4 pounds (141) if you can do simple subtraction that equals 137. Cheat? Please explain that f*cking magic.”
Aspen Ladd did step onto the scale at first weighing 141.5 pounds fully clothed, but after shedding her clothing weighed 137 pounds. It appears that Tate’s accusation is that Ladd held the curtain next to the scale to try and alleviate some of her weight, explaining the 4.5 pound difference between the two weights.
Jim West ended his barrage of words with a reminder to all observers, Miesha Tate included, that Aspen Ladd had endured a gruelling weight cut, and was visibly struggling on the podium. He also called Miesha Tate a “coward” for good measure.
“Please try and stand still, with hands in the air while dehydrated, dizzy, and nauseous all while trying to hold yourself because you are bleeding. You better hope you never have to fight Aspen. Oh wait you probably won’t you coward”
Of course, with all of this controversy surrounding the harsh reality of weight cutting in MMA comes the question of whether fighters should actually put themselves through it.
If Aspen Ladd is struggling so much to ditch the final pounds that would allow her to fight at bantamweight, she should probably consider fighting in the 145-pound featherweight division where she will be more comfortable.
Are you on Jim West’s side in all this, or Miesha Tate’s? Let us know in the comments.
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