Aspen Can See Title Shot On The Horizon
Aspen Ladd knows how important a win is for her on July 13th against Germaine de Randamie at UFC Sacramento, but she can’t let that break her focus.
“Anybody with half a brain understands the implications of a fight like this but at the same time I keep saying I’m not chasing the title. It just keeps getting thrown at me,” Ladd said when speaking to MMA Fighting. “I’ve taken every single fight they’ve given to me and I’m going to continue to do so.
“If the next one is that giant step, OK. If it’s not, that’s OK. It doesn’t concern me. I’m just here to fight and to get experience.”
Ladd, who has been undefeated as a pro, can earn a bantamweight title shot with a win over the division’s first champion in Sacramento, but feels like addressing Nunes isn’t important.
“I’ve never really been after that. I’m always about what’s in front of me, not what’s five steps ahead already,” Ladd said. “So whatever the next step is, whatever is right in front of me, that’s what’s most important. That’s the most important fight, the most dangerous competitor, I don’t really think beyond that. It’s worked out pretty well so far.
“[Some fighters] get too caught up in the end game, the end result, and they’re thinking about the belt, but that is not an end game. You get that it’s even harder than it was before. It’s like you fight so hard to get to the UFC but then you have to fight even harder to stay there. You fight so hard to get the but it’s even harder to maintain the belt. There is no end game. It’s a journey and you’ve got to be ready for all of it.”
“I feel the same way about every single fight. They’re all the next most dangerous opponent. I get excited equally for every single fight. It doesn’t matter if it’s Germaine, Holly [Holm], Amanda [Nunes], equally excited for every fight,” Ladd continued.
“[Amanda Nunes] is a phenomenal fighter and phenomenal at what she does but anybody can get caught, anybody can have an off day,” Ladd said. “You get caught up in the other person, they were this, they were that, and you lose sight of what you’re good at and how you got to this point. You can’t really get too caught up in the other person.”
“[de Randamie]’s the No. 1 contender for a reason and a former champion for a reason. She’s a world class striker, she’s one of the best in the UFC, man or woman, and she has a whole lot of experience. She’s more experienced in that aspect of the arts than I am in my entire career. She’s extremely experienced so she’s a great opponent.
“I know what she’s going to do. She knows what I’m going to do, too. It comes down to who is going to have the better game plan that night.”
Report: MMA Fighting