[MMA NEWS ARCHIVES]
Tonight at UFC Vegas 40, Aspen Ladd makes her featherweight debut in the main event against Norma Dumont. Her move up in weight class was unexpected but brought about by issues on the scale that forced a cancelation of her UFC Vegas 38 bout against Macy Chiasson. This was not the first time Ladd experienced serious issues on weigh-in day. Here’s a look back to a story published two years ago that documents another incident.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 12, 2019, 4:12 PM]
Earlier today, Aspen Ladd made championship weight for her main event bout with Germaine de Randamie at tomorrow’s (Sat., Jul 13, 2019) UFC Sacramento.
However, things were not all good. Ladd was clearly shaking as she required the hoop to hit her mark. She also struggled to complete her pose for the cameras after she weighed in. All in all, it was an extremely concerning scene for a fighter who has had trouble making the bantamweight limit in the past. Her 2018 bout with Leslie Smith was called off when she missed weight.
Much of the MMA world was up in arms about whether or not she would be allowed to fight and for good reason. Her health genuinely appeared to be in danger. However, California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) physician Dr. Gary Furness told ESPN’s Marc Raimondi that Ladd was fine to compete:
“She did slightly overshoot her weight cut, but she was not dangerously dehydrated. She had moist mucus (sic) membranes, her vital signs were stable, and within a few minutes she was starting to orally hydrate and was back to normal. So she is cleared to fight.”
Shivering Was ‘Only Nerves?’
Raimondi then went on to detail that Ladd would be checked prior to competing according to Furness. He claimed Ladd’s shaking on the scale was due to ‘a little bit of nerves’:
“Furness said Ladd will be checked 90 minutes before the fight, but he does not anticipate issues. Re: her shivering, he said: “A little bit of nerves. She’s part of the main event and I believe she had missed weight in a previous fight. That was contributing to it, I believe.”
Perhaps Ladd was nervous about making the weight for her first UFC main event. But the state of her health based on the scene at weigh-ins appeared to have more to do with just nerves. Here’s to hoping the CSAC does their due diligence so that Ladd truly is in the right shape to fight tomorrow night.
Is California taking Ladd’s situation seriously enough?
Continue Reading [ARCHIVES] CSAC Doctor Reacts To Aspen Ladd’s Frightening Weigh-In at MMA News.