Former UFC bantamweight Aspen Ladd knew her time at 135 pounds was over midway through her latest weight cut. Ladd was supposed to fight Sara McMann at UFC Vegas 60, but her failure to make weight led the promotion to cut Ladd from the roster. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Ladd described how “roasting” her body forced her to realise her days as a bantamweight are over, regardless of where she fights next.
“It was particularly s***** just because it never should have happened. I started extremely low and just stopped sweating. Ended up roasting for another six hours without sweating anymore, and during that process, it’s like never again.”
Why Aspen Ladd’s Disastrous Weight Cut Forced Her Out of the UFC
Ladd, who has struggled to cut weight before, claimed that she was not attempting to lose an extreme amount of weight, but still came in three pounds above the 135-pound weight limit. Eventually, the pressure of being able to make fighting weight got to be too much.
“The level of the pain, and the stuff that I’ve gone through after from doing these cuts – and even when you do everything right, you’re as lean as you can be, and you diet 10 months out of the year – it’s just my whole life is focused on staying small enough.
I don’t know for how many of the other [bantamweights] that’s true or fighters in general, but honestly it was just the last straw for me. I’m done living my entire life trying to stay small enough and then feeling this awful and then having to recuperate from that physically.”
For now, it seems that Aspen Ladd will try her luck at featherweight, with a slightly more generous 145-pound limit. Considering the lack of options at 145 pounds for women in the UFC, perhaps getting cut from the promotion is a blessing in diguise.
“Because I clearly cannot make that weight at 135, at least not consistently without dying.
I needed to make the move up, and they don’t have an opportunity at 145. They have the weight class, but honestly, if you’re a 145er in the UFC, I would recommend if you can go down, do it, and if not, look at your options. It was time to look at mine.
It was kind of both parties knew this was the last straw. Because if you’re only given this singular option, and I just can’t do it – after this last cut, I’m not trying again. When you’re told that’s not there, well, then we need to figure out something else.”
What’s next for Aspen Ladd? Let us know in the comments.
