Nine fights into her pro career, Aspen Ladd is getting her chance to headline an MMA show.
Even as a rising star in Invicta, Ladd was never given the opportunity to close the show, but on Saturday she meets former UFC featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie in the bantamweight main event of UFC Sacramento. It’s a considrable step-up for the unbeaten 24-year-old whose first three UFC appearances all took place on the preliminaries.
It’s fair to say that when Ladd and de Randamie were named as headliners, there was some skepticism given Ladd’s relative inexperience and de Randamie’s inactivity (“The Iron Lady” has competed just once a year since 2015 and Saturday’s bout marks her sixth fight since November 2013).