UFC Dana White was not thrilled to have Aspen Ladd removed from his contract. But after several misses on the scale, he indicated the promotion’s hands were tied.
White dismissed any possibility that Ladd would be sent back to featherweight after her third defeat at bantamweight, and stated that the “talented fighter” simply ran out of opportunities.
“We tried to work with her – she’s a great kid,” White said at the post-fight press conference for the DWCS Season 6 finale on Tuesday. It’s not fun to have someone who is truly talented. She’s an excellent fighter. Part of the job is gaining weight .”
Ladd did not achieve that feat in her last trip to UFC Scale. She came in at two pounds overweight for the non-title fight with Sara McMann, which had been rescheduled. She had previously lost two fights to Raquel Pennington, and Norma Dumont in their meetings. The latter was a 145-pound competition booked following another weight problem.
At one point, the California State Athletic Commission suspended Ladd’s license to compete at bantamweight, requiring her to submit extensive medical documentation before being allowed to fight at 135 pounds.
“She’s not made weight so many times, it had to happen,” White continued. “Not something you want to do, but something that had to be done.”
Ladd has yet to comment on her release, which was reported on Tuesday after the algorithm-based Twitter account UFC Roster Watch indicated she’d been removed from the active list. She earned a UFC record of 4-3, briefly garnering title talk after a three-fight winning streak in her early octagon career.
