Aspen Ladd To Face Julia Budd In First PFL Fight

Without delay, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) gave Aspen Ladd her first task.

The most recent PFL signee will face Julia Budd in the women’s featherweight division, which will soon be announced, in the 2022 PFL Championships, which are scheduled for November 25 at the Hulu Theater in New York City.

Drake Riggs of MMA Mania initially reported the bout, and Ladd later confirmed it during a recent interview on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.

“I’m thrilled,” Ladd said.

“It’s pretty much a fighter’s dream at Madison Square Garden and I’m excited that I don’t have to wait until next April basically to start this next season. So I’ve been waiting to find out if I was going to be on it and I got the confirmation last week, and I was like, ‘Yes!'”

After leaving the UFC earlier this month, Ladd joined the PFL.

Over seven appearances, the former UFC bantamweight went 4-3, but several weight cuts ruined her stint in the promotion.

Ladd’s fight against Sara McMann at UFC Vegas 60 this past September was cancelled after she came in at 138 pounds, leading the promotion to split ways with her. She lost her final two fights to Norma Dumont at UFC Vegas 40 and Raquel Pennington at UFC 273.

Since joining the PFL over a year ago, Budd is 1-1. She defeated Kaitlin Young unanimously in her lightweight debut at PFL 10 in 2021. However, she was defeated by Genah Fabian at PFL 3 in 2022.

Budd was scheduled to face Kayla Harrison in her next bout, but she was forced to withdraw due to an injury.

Six championship battles are featured in the 2022 PFL Championships. The third battle between Kayla Harrison and Larissa Pacheco will be the main attraction of the pay-per-view event.