Aspen Ladd forced off UFC on ESPN 12 fight card due to injury

Aspen Ladd will no longer be fighting Sara McMann.

MMAJunkie was first to report the news that Ladd has suffered an injury and has been forced to pull out of her June 27th bout against McMann.

Unfortunate news for a top women's bantamweight contender: @AspenLaddMMA suffered an injury in training and is out of her fight next week with Sara McMann.

I’m told her recovery could be anywhere between 3-9 months.

— John Morgan (@JohnMorgan_MMA) June 20, 2020

“Unfortunate news for a top women’s bantamweight contender: @AspenLaddMMA suffered an injury in training and is out of her fight next week with Sara McMann. I’m told her recovery could be anywhere between 3-9 months,” John Morgan reported.

Aspen Ladd returned to the win column last time out. There, she scored a TKO win over Yana Kunitskaya at UFC Washington D.C. last December. Before that, she had suffered a knockout loss in just 16 seconds against Germaine de Randamie in the main event of UFC Sacramento in July.

Ladd is currently ranked third in the bantamweight division. She is 9-1 as a pro including being 4-1 inside the Octagon with notable wins over Sijara Eubanks and Tonya Evinger.

Sara McMann, meanwhile, is ranked ninth in the division and like Ladd returned to the win column last time out. There, she beat Lina Lansberg by decision after suffering back-to-back losses to Marion Reneau by submission and Ketlen Vieira by submission as well.

Many assumed the fight between Ladd and McMann would serve as a number one contender bout where the winner would later face Amanda Nunes for the belt. Yet, with Ladd now out of the fight, it is unknown if there will be a replacement opponent. Some options could be Germaine de Randamie, Macy Chiasson, or Julianna Pena who all makes sense for McMann ranking wise.

With Ladd-McMann off of UFC on ESPN 12, the Irene Aldana vs. Holly Holm matchup on August 1 could be the new number one contender bout. Mike Winkeljohn even told BJPENN.com that Holm is one win away from a title shot.

“In my heart, I believe Holly is one fight away from a title shot. Man, she made a big mistake against Nunes. Everyone that fights Nunes has fallen in that trap,” Winkeljohn said to BJPENN.com. “I’ve been amazed as to what Amanda can do. But, I think she got exposed with GDR [Germaine De Randamie] and one more win and Holly gets that shot.”

What do you make of Aspen Ladd being forced off the UFC on ESPN 12 card?