Miesha Tate, former UFC women’s bantamweight champ is decidedly unimpressed by Aspen Ladd’s recent weight cutting struggles. Ladd endured a near two-year layoff, and in her attempt to return to competition was thwarted by a botched attempt to cut weight to 135 pounds in order to fight Macy Chiasson at UFC Vegas 38.
Ladd failed to make weight, and issued a public statement via Twitter apologising to the UFC, her supporters, and her team.
Tate Accuses Aspen Ladd of “Cheating” Scale to Miss Weight
Miesha Tate was having none of it. “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.” Tweeted Tate. “Everyone saw you cheat and still came in a lb over. I bet you were every bit of 139.”
Miesha Tate continued, addressing a fan question about the digital scale other fighters were using. “Because she wanted to cheat the real scale and she knew if she checked before hand that she couldn’t explain why the lbs suddenly disappeared when she got behind a curtain she could grab onto”
When Aspen Ladd initially stepped on the scale, wearing clothing, she weighed in at 141.5 pounds. She got on the scale again, sans clothing, visibly shaking, with her final weight at 137 pounds. Ladd later pointed out the struggle she’d endured attempting to make weight, particularly as she’d had her period earlier in the week.
It’s unclear what Miesha Tate believes Aspen Ladd stood to gain from cheating the scale or holding the curtain, considering the failed to make weight regardless. Many fighters put themselves through the weight cut via severe dehydration specifically so they can “bulk up” between weigh-in and fight day.
Remember the emaciated, almost 2D Conor McGregor from his featherweight weigh-ins? Weight cutting is a controversial, but widely practised part of combat sports. Whatever advantage Miesha Tate thinks Aspen Ladd gained from cheating the scales isn’t immediately obvious given the widely practised, and widely acknowledged, reality of weight cutting.
With this gruelling episode in mind, perhaps we’ll see Ladd in the featherweight division moving forward. For her part, Aspen Ladd didn’t take the criticism lying down, firing back via Twitter at Tate’s accusation.
“U R a champ, a pioneer in mma,I hav a great deal of respect for u.Bottom line is I didn’t make it. there is documented history struggles. 1lb or 10lb the bottom line is I didn’t get it done. taking control to rectify the situation. I will not engage w/ neg this has brought., 🙏”
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