UFC bantamweight contender Aspen Ladd replaces an injured Holly Holm against Norma Dumont at featherweight next Saturday at UFC Vegas 40.
Next Saturday’s UFC event has undergone its second significant change as it has been announced that Aspen Ladd will be replacing Holly Holm after the former bantamweight champion was forced to withdraw. Ariel Helwani first reported that Holm was out while ESPN was first to report that Ladd was in the running for the headlining spot. The news comes after the recent announcement that the previous headliner between Miesha Tate and Ketlen Vieira was postponed. No reason for Holm’s withdrawal was given.
Ladd (9-1) is coming off a controversial weight miss last week in which she looked in poor shape in her attempt to make 135 pounds for her bout against Macy Chiasson. Ladd was unable to hold still on the scale and ultimately weighed in at 137 pounds. The fact that Ladd was unable to put both hands over the barrier after stripping down to try to make the weight led some to question if Ladd was trying to cheat the scale. Ladd has not fought since December of 2017 where she stopped perennial contender Yana Kunitskaya.
While the opportunity for Dumont (6-1) to possibly take out an established former champion in Holm is a loss, she nonetheless could become an intriguing player in the sporadically endangered UFC women’s featherweight division. Most recently, “The Immortal” moved up in weight to face former title challenger Felicia Spencer and won by unanimous decision. After initially saying she was looking to move back down in weight, she stated that the UFC asked her to remain at featherweight “to make things interesting.”
Currently, the card is set to move forward with 12 fights. The event is scheduled to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
