Aspen Ladd will debut for BKB on Saturday in Miami.
Aspen
Ladd believes the next year will be great for women’s mixed
martial arts.
Ladd recently weighed in on the merger between the
Professional Fighters League and
Most Valuable Promotions. She’s slightly skeptical about the
merger, considering things didn’t play out as expected with PFL’s
acquisition of Bellator
in 2023, but remains optimistic.
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Aspen Ladd discussed MVP-PFL merger, critiques UFC’s handling
of women’s MMA
Ladd also notes that women’s boxing under MVP and bare-knuckle
boxing under BKFC are rising in the meantime. With former Bellator
president Scott Coker set to launch his own promotion next year,
the former
Ultimate Fighting Championship athlete believes it’ll be a
bright year ahead for women’s MMA.
“Because with the merger between, or supposed to be a merger,
right, with PFL and Bellator, you thought, oh, it’d be great,”
Ladd told Sherdog’s Sean Sheehan. “They’re absorbing the weight
classes is going to be one big thing, but it wasn’t. That was a
disaster. There’s the UFC not really putting much effort, time, or
attention into their women’s divisions, but during that same time
period, Bare Knuckle’s taken off. Boxing has really taken off with
MVP. But I think that the MVP-PFL merger will be a huge thing. I
know obviously Scott Coker’s coming back. So I think like next year
is gonna be great. The last couple haven’t been.”
Ladd also believes women’s MMA in the UFC is suffering due to
multiple factors. She claims the promotion hasn’t been giving due
attention to women’s MMA and is signing fighters when they’re too
green, referencing Bella Mir’s
loss on
Dana White’s Contender Series.
“And we’ll see what the UFC chooses to do,” Ladd added. “Like they
had a couple hot pros, well, one hot prospect last night, and that
didn’t go how they wanted. And they’ve brought in a couple girls
too, and I just think they’re bringing them in too early, or
they’re building their records on people where they’re not really
getting that experience before they get to the big show, and then
they get to the big show and they’re potential stars are falling
flat, right? So, like, back in the day, you had a bunch of
promotions, like Invicta; Invicta was amazing. That’s where I did
my first five fights, where you’re fighting real competition before
you get to the big stage, or the biggest stage, right? So, I think
it’s really suffering from not much care; there’s been a lack of
opportunity and then pushing young fighters a little too fast.”
Ladd (12-5) fought in the UFC from 2017 to 2022 before signing with
the PFL. She switched to Bellator for one fight after PFL dropped
the women’s featherweight division in 2024. The American has since
shifted focus to bare-knuckle boxing, where she scored a
first-round knockout in her debut last November.
Ladd is now scheduled to fight Bianca
Daimoni in a bare-knuckle boxing bout under the BKB banner on
Aug. 29 in Miami.