Aspen Ladd’s appeal of her UFC on ESPN+ 13 loss to Germaine de Randamie was denied Tuesday by the California State Athletic Commission.
Ladd (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) lost via 16-second TKO to the former UFC featherweight champion in the bantamweight main event of the July 13 card Sacramento, Calif., marking her first career defeat.
The stoppage by respected veteran referee Herb Dean was considered by many to be premature. Ladd went a step farther in her complaint before the commission during Tuesday’s meeting in downtown Los Angeles, claiming gender discrimination factored into the decision to wave off the fight, implying Dean would have let the bout continue if it was a men’s matchup.
Dean, who was present at the hearing, adamantly denied gender played a role in the decision, and three out of the five commissioners agreed, as the appeal was denied on a 3-2 vote.
The vote was divided along gender lines, with John Carvelli, Luis Ayala and Vernon Williams voting against the appeal, and Martha Shen-Urquidez and Mary Lehman voting for.
De Randamie will next fight Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight championship at UFC 245 in Las Vegas. Ladd will fight Yana Kunitskaya at UFC on ESPN 7.
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