The California State Athletic Commission has removed a temporary suspension on UFC bantamweight Aspen Ladd‘s licensure, which had barred her from competing at 135 pounds in the state of California. The commission has also removed a note of concern regarding Ladd’s weight in the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports database.
CSAC executive director Andy Foster removed the suspension after Ladd weighed-in at 150 pounds during an administrative weigh-in on Friday. Ladd (8-1) is already scheduled to face Yana Kunitskaya in a bantamweight bout at UFC Fight Night on Dec. 7 in Washington D.C. As of Friday, CSAC no longer has any issues with her competing at that weight.
“We put the note on after her last fight due to the tremendous rehydration she underwent,” Foster told ESPN. “She went to some professionals after that experience and I have read the reports. I think we needed to see some real weight loss in her — not from dehydration, but real weight loss. She’s been diligent and lived up to her obligations.”
Ladd, 24, sparked widespread concern during the weigh-in for her last fight, a bantamweight bout against Germaine de Randamie in July in Sacramento. She appeared to shake and be in physical pain as she weighed-in at 135 pounds. According to CSAC, Ladd’s weight increased to 159 pounds the night of the fight, meaning she added nearly 18 percent of her body weight.
CSAC has since passed a rule that would allow the commission to cancel a bout on the night of, if one of the combatants have re-gained more than 15 percent of his of her body weight. Foster has long been an advocate of addressing extreme weight cutting measures in mixed martial arts.
Ladd, who is six weeks out from her bout against Kunitskaya, told ESPN she would normally weigh closer to 153 or 154 pounds at this juncture. She anticipates checking in to fight week lower than she ever has as a bantamweight, and is expecting a smooth cut. A California native, Ladd intends to finish her camp at the UFC’s Performance Institute in Las Vegas.
She does not anticipate re-gaining as much weight post weigh-in as she did in her last bout.
“We all know how it works in California with their focus on weight, and some people even avoid fighting here because of it,” Ladd said. “We were prepared for some repercussions after what happened. I don’t know if we were prepared for it to receive so much attention, but we handled it. It’s in the past and we’re looking forward to the next one.”
Ladd’s coach, Jim West, added he believed CSAC had treated Ladd “fairly” in the process.
CSAC’s decision to suspend Ladd’s license and add a note for other commissions is not all that rare. Foster estimated the commission currently has a note on around 60 athletes, regarding concerns over the weight class they compete in. He admitted Ladd’s has received more attention because she is a high-profile fighter.