UFC women’s bantamweight Aspen Ladd will have to jump through a few hoops to face Yana Kunitskaya at 135 pounds.
After gaining 18 percent of her weight between weigh-ins and fight day for a bout against Germaine de Randamie at UFC on ESPN+ 13, Ladd’s license to fight at bantamweight is suspended in California, according to the California State Athletic Commission.
The suspension doesn’t rule Ladd out of a scheduled bout with Kunitskaya at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, D.C. She can get cleared to compete at bantamweight if she provides the commission “extensive medical documentation” to prove she’s capable of fighting safely in the division, CSAC executive director Andy Foster told MMA Junkie.
But until that happens, Foster has placed a note on Ladd’s administrative file with the Association of Boxing Commissions, and he expects the District of Columbia Combat Sports Commission, which oversees the Dec. 7 event, to honor the requirements before licensing her. Repeated requests for comment to the D.C. commission were not returned.
“CSAC will remove the note if (Ladd) provides extensive medical documentation from a licensed physician certifying the weight class is appropriate and verified by CSAC physicians,” Foster said.
Foster intends to beef up current regulations on weight cutting to give the CSAC power to remove fighters from events if they don’t follow them. The commission met earlier this month to discuss the issue.
In a combative interview, Ladd’s manager, Dave Hirschbein, disputed the characterization of his client’s status. He stressed Ladd isn’t suspended unless she fails to provide documentation of her new weight program, designed by the UFC Performance Institute, which is working with her in advance of the Kunitskaya fight.
Hirschbein said Foster, the UFC PI staff and UFC executive vice president Hunter Campbell have signed off on the plan. He said the arrangement is “nobody’s business right now” and objected to a news story.
“We’re all working on this together, so for him to actually say (Ladd is suspended) to you, I’m shocked,” Hirschbein said. “I’m surprised he would use those words, because I have an exact agreement that’s not what’s going to happen once we have this paperwork done.”
Ladd’s weigh-in for the de Randamie fight made headlines when she visibly shook and grimaced on the scale while officials registered her weight. She was knocked out by de Randamie in 16 seconds in the UFC on ESPN+ 13 main event a month ago in Sacramento and received a 45-day medical suspension from the CSAC.
Part of the CSAC’s 10-point plan to help combat dangerous weight cuts calls for the commission to record the percentage of body weight a fighter gains between weigh-ins and fight day. Ladd’s gain of 18 percent means she clocked in at 159 pounds, which is well over the 10 percent threshold that triggers a recommendation from the commission to move up in weight.
ABC President Michael Mazzulli said he’s currently dealing with a situation similar to Ladd’s, requiring that former UFC lightweight champion and current Bellator fighter Benson Henderson certify his ability to fight at 155 pounds after exceeding the 10 percent threshold for a bout in California.
“I wouldn’t allow her to fight at 135 unless I see documentation that a doctor has cleared her,” Mazzulli said. “We all adhere to that note. The safety of the fighters is most important.”
Following her loss, Ladd told reporters her weight cut had nothing to do with her performance against de Randamie. A hectic schedule made her want time off, though she vowed to be ready as soon as the UFC called for her next fight.
