Holly Holm was forced out of her UFC Vegas 40 main event against Norma Dumont, and now Aspen Ladd will step in on short notice to make her 145-pound debut.
Late Wednesday, it was reported that Holm was out of her Oct. 16 fight. The 39-year-old was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury. Ladd will now step in on short notice to face Dumont. News of the reported match-up was first revealed by sources at ESPN.
On Oct. 2, Ladd was scheduled to face Macy Chiasson, and once again the fight fell apart. When Ladd stepped onto the scale, she could barely maintain balance, and the fight was called off due to her inability to handle the weight cut. A week later, Ladd will now compete at 145-pounds and face Dumont. The California native is coming off one of the biggest wins of her career. In Dec. of 2019, Ladd picked up a beautiful TKO after landing a stiff right cross. The 26-year-old followed up her handiwork on the feet with some nasty ground and pound to secure the victory against Yana Kunitskaya.
With a chance to make her mark on a brand new division, Ladd can assert herself as a top contender in just one fight at featherweight. With the fight nearly a week away, Dumont goes from fighting a renowned boxer to facing the grappling-centric Ladd. By night’s end, the 145-pound division will have gotten much more interesting.
In addition to Ladd and Dumont, here is an updated lineup for UFC Vegas 40 on Oct. 16:
- Aspen Ladd vs. Norma Dumont
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Carlos Felipe
- Andrew Sanchez vs. Bruno Silva
- Manon Fiorot vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
- Julian Marquez vs. Jordan Wright
- Ramazan Emeev vs. Danny Roberts
- Luana Carolina vs. Sijara Eubanks
- Ludovit Klein vs. Nate Landwehr
- Da Un Jung vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
- Marcelo Rojo vs. Daniel Santos
- Ariane Carnelossi vs. Istela Nunes
- Danaa Batgerel vs. Brandon Davis
Do you think Ladd’s previous weight cut will affect her performance next week?
