Aspen
Ladd will face an accomplished opponent in her Professional
Fighters League debut.
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The recently released UFC bantamweight contender will square off
against ex-Bellator featherweight queen Julia Budd at
the PFL Championships on Nov. 25.
MMA Mania was first to report the booking. Ladd vs. Budd is
expected to be contested at 145 pounds. The PFL thus far has only
had a women’s lightweight division for its season format.
The PFL Championships take place at Hulu Theater at Madison Square
Garden in New York and feature six title bouts with $1 million at
stake. The main card airs on pay-per-view and is headlined by a
women’s lightweight championship clash between Kayla Harrison and
Lena Pacheco.
Ladd and the UFC parted ways following a seven-bout stint after the
fighter endured multiple issues making weight ahead of her bouts.
The 27-year-old Californian lost three of her last four Octagon
appearances, including a decision defeat to Raquel
Pennington at UFC 273. She was supposed to face Sara McMann
on Sept. 17, but a bad weight cut led to the cancelation of that
matchup.
Budd, meanwhile, joined PFL folllowing a 9-1 run in Bellator that
saw her defend the 145-pound belt three times before relinquishing
it to Cristiane
Justino. “The Jewel” debuted in PFL with a decision triumph
over Kaitlin
Young before suffering an upset loss to an overweight Genah
Fabian in a lightweight regular season bout this past May. A
proposed matchup against two-time lightweight queen Kayla
Harrison in July fell through after Budd suffered an
injury.