Followers of UFC have had plenty to hold their attention of late, and the schedule shows there are some mouth-watering bouts planned for the second half of 2021. The big fights are back on television, crowds are back in arenas, and promoters are moving to ensure the biggest names in each division stay on a collision course.
One match-up we won’t be enjoying anytime soon is the hotly anticipated women’s bantamweight clash between Macy Chiasson and Aspen Ladd. The pair had been scheduled to meet in the main event of the upcoming UFC on ESPN 27 card, but the fight was pulled from the schedule at the last minute due to injury.
That has changed everything, from the line-up to the UFC betting odds with all wagers on the fight becoming null and void, stakes returned. However, the show must go on, and alterations have been made to the running order to compensate. The show at UFC Apex in Nevada now has a bantamweight bout between Cory Sandhagen and TJ Dillashaw as the main attraction and will be broadcast worldwide.
“Macy Chiasson” by MMAJunkie is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Bitter blow for the fighters and fans
The injury to Chiasson will be a bitter blow for a fighter who was desperate to put on a show, grab the win in front of a huge audience and raise her profile in combat sports. She had been training and preparing for this night for months, and it has all been for nothing as she will watch the action from outside of the octagon. Any injury in MMA is dangerous to a fighter’s career as it could have them on the sidelines for months while their main rivals in the division keep active, keep winning and climb the rankings.
Details of the injury are sketchy at present, with plenty of rumours on how it happened, but it’s best to wait for the official statement from the UFC before predicting how long Chiasson will be out. Fans will hope it’s a minor setback, and she returns to action later this year on another stacked UFC promotion.
The injury isn’t just tough to take for Chiasson, of course. Her opponent has also endured an extended training camp spent working in the gym, dieting and thinking about nothing but fight night. All that will now go to waste unless matchmakers at the UFC headquarters can get Ladd a decent fight in the near future. She’ll certainly hope that’s the case as no fighter wants to lose a full training camp then have to start again from scratch for a future bout.
“Aspen Ladd” by BloodyElbow is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Fans robbed of an important fight
It’s also a shame for the paying public who had bought tickets and subscribed to the PPV live TV coverage. Chiasson v Ladd had all the qualities of a great fight, with both knowing they had to win the contest. Both females know time is against them in their quest to climb the ladder and force themselves into contention for a shot at the UFC championship. Victory in this bout would have catapulted one towards the big names, leaving the other to contemplate their future.
Ladd hasn’t fought since 2019, when winning by TKO against Yana Kunitskaya. That was an impressive victory at the time and her second win on the bounce. Followers of UFC hoped it would be the beginning of a golden period for Kidd, but she failed to build on that success, and the wait now rumbles on due to Chasson’s injury. What she does next in her career is extremely important. She must stay busy. If she drops out of the picture again, it could spell the end of the line for Kidd.
Lovers of the UFC will keep a close eye on developments with both fighters and hope arrangements can be made to get the bout back on. Ladd’s professional MMA record remains at nine wins against one defeat, with six of those victories coming by way of knockout. Chiasson’s CV details seven victories and one loss with three on decision and the other four split between KO and submission. Her last fight produced a victory over Marion Reneau in Las Vegas earlier this year.