After a great first 10 minutes, Aspen Ladd came out hot in the third round, finishing the fight 33 seconds into the stanza at UFC DC.
Aspen Ladd is coming off her first career loss, a 15 second knockout defeat at the hands of top contender Germaine De Randamie. Yana Kunitskaya has turned things around after losing in her promotional debut against Cris Cyborg, riding a two-fight win streak into UFC DC.
Aspen Ladd charged forward immediately with punches and pushed Kunitskaya against the cage. Kunitskaya reversed position, but it didn’t last long as the referee separated them due to Kunitskaya grabbing the cage. Both fighters swung punches freely before Kunitskaya clinched up with Ladd and pushed her to the fence. Ladd worked her way off the fence and landed a trip takedown into half guard. Ladd then took her back and began throwing wild punches while yelling. Kunitskaya withstood the barrage and bucked her off, ending the round on top.
Ladd came out swinging in round two, favoring her left hand. Kunitskaya was keeping her distance, but Ladd shot in for a takedown, getting her down briefly. Kunitskaya pushed Ladd against the cage, but soon after, Ladd scored a takedown, pulling her opponent to the center of the Octagon. Ladd rode out the round in closed guard, not expending the energy she did in the first.
Ladd again came out fast in the third round, dropping Kunitskaya with a left immediately. Ladd jumped on top and began unloading on Kunitskaya. She took the back and continued to throw heavy shots. The referee was forced to stop the fight in under a minute.
That escalated quickly 😳@AspenLaddMMA blitzes and drops Kunitskaya to start the third round at #UFCDC pic.twitter.com/BxCNS7AfzP
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 8, 2019
Aspen Ladd def. Yana Kunitskaya by TKO (Punches) in Round 3 (0:33)
