Aspen Ladd has experience competing head-to-head with Kayla Harrison inside the cage, so it came as no surprise when the two-time Olympic gold medalist made a dominant debut at the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
At the 2023 PFL Championship, Rudd went all the way with a unanimous decision loss to Harrison in a 150-pound catchweight bout, but Holly Holm took a beating from Harrison en route to a second-round submission loss. He had an even tougher night as he absorbed this. UFC 300 on April 13th. What made the win even more impressive was the fact that the two-time Professional Fighters League lightweight champion successfully cut down to 135 pounds for the first time without any issues.
Rudd, who faces Katerina Shakalova on Friday at the Bellator Champion Series in Paris, expected Harrison to be successful in her first Octagon foray.
“Kayla Harrison did exactly what she thought she was going to do, especially when she heard the matchup. Obviously people were going to think it was a tough fight, otherwise Holly would have done what she did to Rhonda. would do the same thing as [Rousey]” Rudd said on a recent media call. “[Harrison]
I made her a ragdoll so she thought it would look easy. In my opinion, I don’t think anyone can beat her in that department right now.
“And yes, it’s definitely a very tough cut. She did it, she did it, and I’m sure she’ll do it again.”
Ladd initially made a name for himself in the UFC’s bantamweight division, but found it difficult to make the cut and moved to 145 pounds. The 29-year-old from Folsom, Calif., will make his PFL debut in 2022 and participated in the seasonal format last year. There will be no featherweight division for the 2024 season, so Ladd moved to Bellator, which was acquired by the PFL late last year. Rudd admits he’s missing the normal schedule offered by the PFL, but competing for Bellator also has its benefits.
“I wish we had had the option of another season. Last year was my first time. I loved that it kept me busy. I loved the seasonal format. You didn’t know when you were going to play, when the next game was going to be. “I loved getting to know him,” Rudd said. “But there are also some tradeoffs. Right now I’m on the Bellator side and returning elbows, which is so great. There are concessions to each, but I definitely prefer being more active. Ideally. [fighting] Three times would be great. The great thing about this season format is that you know you’re going to be competing.”
Shakalova enters the fight on a seven-fight winning streak, coming off a split decision victory over Dayana Silva in her Bellator debut last August. The 26-year-old Ukrainian native is known for her grappling skills, which is what Rudd is most comfortable with about her.
“So far she’s been the dominant grappler and that’s how she wins matches. That’s where I’m world class,” Rudd said. “So she’s not going to have a good night, but I’m sure she’s going to be fine after that.”
Rudd is used to facing big-name opposition, having faced the likes of Harrison, Julia Budd, Raquel Pennington and Germaine de Randamie. So far, she’s taking a pragmatic approach when it comes to her intriguing matchups under the Bellator and PFL banners.
“The name that was being mentioned on the Bellator side was Leah McCourt. She’s a great grappler. I already know her. That’s who she was,” Rudd said. “But Larissa [Pacheco] As a potential opponent, he was definitely on my radar last year.
“[Cristiane
Justino] But it seems like she’s coming into the picture and she’s still struggling to get the fight she’s looking for. I thought, “Well, that probably won’t happen before any of the other things happen.”
