Aspen Ladd doesn’t think anyone can hang with Kayla Harrison in the UFC women’s bantamweight division.
Harrison swept the scorecards when she defeated Ladd in their 150-pound catchweight bout this past November at the 2023 PFL Championships. The two-time Olympic gold medalist then signed with the UFC, choking out Holly Holm in her bantamweight debut at UFC 300.
Ladd (11-5) reflected on what it was like to fight Harrison (17-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC).
“That was an extraordinarily tough fight to take on the time period that I did and yeah, she’s one of the best out there,” Ladd told reporters at a virtual news conference Tuesday (h/t Cageside Press). “She’s definitely one of the best grapplers in the world, and she’s continuing to do big things, and she’s about to take the 135-pound division in the UFC.”
Ladd wasn’t surprised with how easily Harrison handled former UFC bantamweight champion Holm. She expects her to rule over the division.
“Kayla Harrison did exactly what I thought she was going to do, especially when I heard the matchup,” Ladd said. “Obviously people think that’s a tough fight, or Holly will do the same thing that she did to Ronda (Rousey).
“She rag-dolled her, and I thought she was going to make it look easy. There’s not currently anybody in that division that’s going to be able to beat her in my opinion.”
Ladd returns against Katerina Shakalova in the Bellator Champions Series: Paris prelims Friday at Accor Arena in Paris.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event page for Bellator Champions Series: Paris.
