Making very quick work of Aspen Ladd at UFC Sacramento, Germaine de Randamie has made it that much harder for the UFC to deny her title aspirations at bantamweight.
Heading into this weekend’s UFC Sacramento, the big question was one of youth versus experience. Could prospect Aspen Ladd topple a former UFC champion in Germaine de Randamie? Then, Ladd struggled to make weight at Friday’s official weigh-in, and the story line changed dramatically. How would Ladd look come Saturday night? Was she already at a disadvantage?
Ladd entered the night a perfect 8-0 as a professional. Seconds later, she had the first loss of her career. Germaine de Randamie’s first punch tagged Ladd, nearly spinning her around as she went down. It was a punishing right hand, and ‘The Iron Lady’ moved in, landing a second strike while Ladd sat up. The ref had seen enough, waving it off, while Ladd sat looking in disbelief.
Much will be made of the stoppage — quick or not, justified or not. Whether or not the bad weight cut slowed Ladd’s reaction. But Germaine de Randamie landed a hellacious blow on Ladd, and walked out of UFC Sacramento victorious.
Now, as odd as it may seem, Germaine de Randamie, once stripped of the women’s featherweight title, may have put herself in position to challenge for the promotion’s bantamweight title.
“Let’s let the UFC decide what’s next,” de Randamie said after the fight, which she called “a good clean stoppage.”
Ladd, for her part, said she “felt fine” after the blow, but “I can’t judge these things,” she added. The finish tied Ronda Rousey’s 16 second knockout of Alexis Davis from 2014 at UFC 175.
Germaine de Randamie def. Aspen Ladd by TKO, Round 1, 0:16
