Familiarity may or may not breed contempt, but on Saturday night, it made for an exciting fight.
Aspen Ladd has eight career pro fights. Her 30 minutes of cage time with Sijara Eubanks is nearly as much as her other seven bouts combined.
At UFC on ESPN+ 10, Ladd rematched Eubanks in a bantamweight showdown that was action-packed from start to finish. In the end, though, Ladd had more to show for her efforts, as she earned a unanimous decision from the judges, who scored the featured prelim bout 30-27, 29-27, and 29-28 in her favor.
That kept Ladd (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) perfect in her career and gave her two wins over Eubanks, whom she also beat via unanimous decision at Invicta FC 21 in 2017.
“She’s a very tough fighter; she showed it again,” Ladd said in her post-fight interview. “Heck of a fight.”
Eubanks (4-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) seemed determined to make a statement in her first bout since moving up from flyweight, as she opened the bout by shooting a double and turning it into a slam. After about a minute or so on the ground, Ladd managed to reverse position and take control of the round. A big late standup flurry in the final seconds by Eubanks, though, gave the judges a tough choice on a round winner.
There was no such question in the second, however, as Ladd dominated in all aspects and put a borderline 10-8 performance on her opponent.
In the process, Ladd might have tired herself out, as Round 3 was another close affair, with both fighters finding success in the standup. Eubanks landed in heavier volume, but Ladd seemed to land the heavier shots.
Ladd’s two wins over Eubanks represent the only two decision victories of her career. Eubanks tasted defeat for the first time since her previous loss to Ladd.
The women’s bantamweight bout served as the featured prelim for UFC on ESPN+ 10 at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 10 results include:
- Aspen Ladd def. Sijara Eubanks via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-28)
- Desmond Green def. Charles Jourdain via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Michel Pereira def. Danny Roberts via knockout (flying knee, punch) – Round 1, 1:47
- Grant Dawson def. Mike Trizano via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:27
- Ed Herman def. Patrick Cummins via TKO (knee, punches) – Round 1, 3:39
- Zak Cummings def. Trevin Giles via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 3, 4:01
- Julio Arce def. Julian Erosa via knockout (head kick) – Round 3, 1:49
For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 10, visit the UFC Events section of the site.
