Undefeated women’s bantamweight Aspen Ladd is scheduled to fight Germaine de Randamie at UFC Fight Night 155 Saturday night in Sacramento. The weigh-ins for that event were held Friday morning, and Ladd’s condition was alarming even in the context of the long history of fighters enduring extraordinary deprivation in order to make weight. The video is hard to watch (skip to the 5:44 below).
Ladd appeared a little wan upon entering the room, but by the time she took the scale she was visibly weak and shaking, and appeared to be in quite a lot of discomfort, if not distress. The look on her face was one of anguish. She needed help dressing afterward. A commissioner called for water, and Ladd appeared disoriented and barely able to hold a flex pose before ultimately being helped from the room.
Ladd’s manager told Ariel Helwani of ESPN that Ladd has become “a perfectionist” about reaching 135 pounds, the bantamweight limit for championship fights, after she failed to make weight for UFC Fight Night 128 in April 2018. Her scheduled bout in that event, against Leslie Smith, was canceled after Ladd weighed in 1.8 pounds over the limit. UFC gives a one-pound allowance to fighters—de Randamie weighed in at 136 for the bout with Ladd—but apparently Ladd was determined to hit 135, even if it meant enduring Friday morning’s horror show.
If Ladd does not at all appear to be in any condition to drive a car, let alone brawl with another professional fighter tomorrow evening, clearly that is because you are misunderstanding what you’re looking at! A commission doctor evaluated Ladd and determined that she is fit to fight. Okay!