After being allowed to have Jon Jones in the main event of UFC 235, the event has potentially lost two fights in the form of Holly Holm vs. Aspen Ladd and Thomas Almeida vs. Marlon Vera.
Dana White announced the cancellation of the Holly Holm vs. Aspen Ladd fight during today’s UFC 235 Press Conference. The possible cancellation of Thomas Almeida vs. Marlon Vera can be seen on ESPN’s website, listing Marlon Vera vs. Opponent TBA.
The Holly Holm vs. Aspen Ladd saga got off to a weird start, and ended in a weird way. The fight was originally announced by the UFC and Holm’s manager denied it, while Ladd was posting about the booking positively on social media. Today, the fight was mysteriously canceled during the press conference, and all Dana White said about it was: “We’re working on fights for both of them.” Ladd was also not aware of the cancellation until White’s announcement.
According to Fansided MMA’s Mike Heck, Ladd’s camp was not given an explanation when they asked the UFC. Holm’s camp simply pulled out without reason.
While this was going on, double-champion Amanda Nunes added fuel to the fire with one emoji:
😎
— Amanda Nunes (@Amanda_Leoa) February 1, 2019
This tweet is giving fans reason to believe that Holm will be getting a title shot. That’s more than a welcome matchup, since the two have never crossed paths in their great careers. Holm is also coming off a win over featherweight Megan Anderson.
Thomas Almeida has not fought since January 2018, when he was knocked out by Rob Font, giving him three losses in his last four appearances. He was rumored to be matched up with Cory Sandhagen at UFC Brooklyn earlier this month, but that fight never came to fruition. Again, the cancellation of Almeida vs. Vera is not confirmed.
UFC 235 takes place on March 2 inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jon Jones defends his light heavyweight title against Anthony Smith in the main event, while Tyron Woodley puts his welterweight belt on the line against Kamaru Usman. Ben Askren will also be making his long-awaited promotional debut against former champion Robbie Lawler.
