Aspen Ladd Eyes BKB Belts, Starting With Daimoni in Miami

Aspen Ladd makes her BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing debut on August 29 at BKB 58 in Miami. Her opponent in the super lightweight bout is Bianca Daimoni, a former BKB welterweight title challenger. Ladd says she already has more than one belt in mind.

Her bare-knuckle career began with a BKFC debut last November. "It was a whole lot of being told you're going to fight, you have a fight, or we're trying to get you a fight, and then nothing. I'm not okay with waiting for six, seven, eight months and fighting maybe once a year," she said. She held talks with other people and ended up with BKB.

Ladd has fought for the UFC, Bellator, PFL and BKFC. BKB lets her compete in other combat sports as well. MMA is still her first love, she said, and she could return at some point, but BKB will be home for bare knuckle. "My entire goal with this organization is get the belt," she said. "I am on a quest for belts at BKB."

Weight and ring

Ladd called 140 pounds perfect for her. Making 135 is very difficult but doable, and 147 is easy, so a second division is possible if the opportunity makes sense. Jamie Driver, a BKB champion, posted a smiley-face emoji under an Instagram post about Ladd signing. Her reply was brief: "Oh, I certainly should be."

The 31-year-old will fight in the Trigon, BKB's compact ring. She has mapped it out in the gym, and she expects there will be no breathing room. "I like that part of fighting," she said.

Why bare knuckle

She came over from MMA expecting broken hands and a heavy toll. It did not turn out that way for her, and she said her hands felt better than they do in MMA gloves. Training for the sport focused on precision more than protection.

Daimoni will not be easy, Ladd said. She has fought for BKB a couple of times, once against the title holder, and has MMA experience too. "That's not a walkthrough whatsoever," Ladd said.

Booking went quickly. Ladd asked for a sooner date after being in camp for a long time, got the Miami card, and had an opponent within two days. "It's been a very smooth transition," she said.

Source: Cageside Press