UFC's Aspen Ladd suspended from fighting at bantamweight after horrifying weight cut
Several observers were left disturbed by the sight of a shaking, grimacing Aspen Ladd trying to stay on a scale to make weight for her fight at UFC Sacramento in July.
It appears the California State Athletic Commission was also troubled by the episode.
The CSAC has suspended Ladd’s license to fight at her usual bantamweight, according to ESPN. In order to be reinstated, Ladd will reportedly have to follow a commission-approved nutrition plan and be monitored by doctors leading up to her scheduled fight on Dec. 7 against Yana Kunitskaya at UFC on ESPN 7.
Ladd’s manager reportedly said that he expects other state commissions to honor the suspension.
Why Aspen Ladd was suspended
It’s not often you see a fighter suspended from their own weight class, but Ladd visibly represented a dangerous side of combat sports when she showed up to a weigh-in last month looking like she could collapse at any moment after ridding her body of as much water as possible.
Before her fight against Germaine de Randamie, Ladd weighed in under the requisite 136 pounds for bantamweight, then showed up for the fight at 159 pounds. That 24-pound difference meant that Ladd had gained more than 17 percent of her body weight in a day.
If that doesn’t sound troubling enough, just look at Ladd’s state during her official weigh-in.
The record will show Aspen Ladd made weight for #UFCSacramento, but she was in BAD shape stepping on the scale. 😳 pic.twitter.com/ECqr6OGjmG
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) July 12, 2019
This is nothing new from Ladd, as similar remarks were made when she showed up in similar shape for weigh-ins before UFC 229 in Oct. 2018.
CSAC regulations reportedly stipulate that a fighter can be recommended or required to move up a weight class if they weigh more than 10 percent over the official weight on fight day, so Ladd was clearly in an area the commission wasn’t comfortable with.
Ladd, who has missed weight twice in her career and missed another fight after falling ill, ended up suffering the first loss of her pro career against de Randamie in the main event at Sacramento. The fight ended by knockout after 16 seconds.
In order to bounce back, Ladd is now going to have to either change weight classes or completely change how she approaches fights.
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