Aspen Ladd has been forced to withdraw from UFC San Diego later this month, leaving Sara McMann in need of an opponent.
Ladd’s exit from the fight comes as a result of her testing positive for COVID-19. McMann herself broke the news on social media on Monday, saying she wanted to remain on the card.
“I’m really crossing my fingers and hoping that the UFC is able to find a replacement,” McMann said in a video posted online. “I hope to still fight on that card. I hope that somebody really wants the challenge and wants to get in there and scrap.”
McMann (13-6), a former UFC women’s bantamweight title challenger, won a silver medal in 2004 at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Joining the UFC in 2013, she’s posted a 7-6 record, and is coming off a win over Karol Rosa back in March.
Now 41, the Olympian has had difficulty staying active in recent years, fighting just once per calendar year in both 2021 and 2020, and missing 2019 entirely.
Ladd (9-3) has hit a rough patch of late, struggling both with getting her hand raised, and with her weight. A move to featherweight in November 2021 backfired when she lost a decision to Norma Dumont; prior to that, she saw a fight against Macy Chiasson scrapped after missing weight and looking unstable on the scale.
A loss to Raquel Pennington at UFC 273 followed for Ladd, who is 1-3 in her last four.
UFC San Diego takes place on August 13, 2022 at the Penchanga Arena in San Diego, CA, with bantamweights Marlon Vera and Dominick Cruz headlining. The card currently breaks down as follows:
- Marlon Vera vs. Dominick Cruz
- Alexa Grasso vs. Viviane Araújo
- Devin Clark vs. Azamat Murzakanov
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Bruno Silva
- Martin Buday vs. Łukasz Brzeski
- Cynthia Calvillo vs. Nina Nunes
- Yazmin Jauregui vs. Iasmin Lucindo
- Gabriel Benítez vs. Charlie Ontiveros
- Nate Landwehr vs. David Onama
- Ode’ Osbourne vs. Tyson Nam
- Youssef Zalal vs. Cristian Quiñonez
- Sara McMann vs. TBA
