The UFC has finalized a good matchup in their women’s bantamweight division. ESPN Deportes was the first to report earlier this afternoon that the promotion had booked a matchup between ranked contenders Irene Aldana (13-6) and Aspen Ladd (9-2).
The matchup is expected to take place at UFC 273 on April 9th. Currently, the UFC is targeting that event to take place in Brooklyn, New York. Aldana will be looking for her second straight win when she takes on the tough Aspen Ladd in April.
The last time we saw Aldana was back at UFC 264 in July. That night, she took on Yana Kunitskaya and she was able to get a first round stoppage. That win was a nice bounce back performance after her tough loss to Holly Holm back in October of 2020.
Overall, Aldana is 3-1 in her last four fights which also includes a knockout victory over the durable Ketlen Vieira. If Aldana is able to pick up the win over Ladd in April, it will do a ton for her moving forward.
UFC’s Ladd looking of redemption
Back in 2019, if you asked anyone who the top female UFC prospect was, they would’ve told you Aspen Ladd. Ladd was a perfect 8-0 when she stepped in the cage with former featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie. Unfortunately, Ladd was stopped early in the first round.
She bounced back big time with a TKO win over Yana Kunitskaya and appeared like she was gearing up for another run. However, a number of injuries really set her back. She returned back in October when she took on Norma Dumont.
In Ladd’s first fight back, she was extremely tentative throughout the fight and ultimately lost a decision. Now, a lot of people will give her a break since it was her first fight back from major injuries. If ring rust was a factor, we should judge Ladd more on her performance against Aldana at UFC 273.