While a last-second opponent change is never ideal, Ladd gets to test herself against a former title challenger in “Rocky,” which seemed to just be a bonus on top of the opportunity to still fight.
“Mick (Maynard) called me and said, ‘I have good news and bad news, which do you want first?’ and at that point, we were two weeks out, so I knew what the bad news was gonna be,” Ladd said of the moment she learned third-ranked Aldana had pulled out of their fight. “But he already had a replacement lined up when he called and I was like, sweet, I don’t care, as long as we have a fight.”
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While it’s no longer a classic matchup of neighbors in the rankings looking to make a clear case for title contention, Ladd believes that going out on Saturday and simply doing her job will make the case for her.
“Raquel is still fairly highly ranked, so I think a statement win over either one is very important. Yes, Aldana was ranked much higher, but it is what it is. The 135 division is very interesting right now. I think we have to wait a couple of months to see but I think I’m at the top of the heap in terms of what can happen after that.”
With more than double the amount of Octagon time and experience fighting some of the division’s best, Ladd recognizes Pennington’s veteran status, but is far from intimidated by it.
