Aspen Ladd taking no chances with food poisoning ahead of delayed UFC debut

GDANSK, Poland – After a bout of food poisoning spoiled her UFC debut, Aspen Ladd is taking no chances the second time around.

On July at The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale, Ladd, a longtime Invicta FC fighter, was slated for an octagon debut against Jessica Eye. However, on the day of the event, the fight was canceled due to an “illness” that was later clarified as food poisoning.

“It was one of the worst weeks of my life,” Ladd today told MMAjunkie. “You do all the hard stuff – you make weight, you do everything you’re supposed to – and you don’t get to do what you’re there for. It was a terrible experience.”

Ladd (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), though, gets a chance to forget that memory when she meets fellow bantamweight Lina Lansberg (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 118.

The event takes place at Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland, and the entire card, including the Ladd vs. Lansberg preliminary-card bout, streams on UFC Fight Pass.

While in Poland, the 22-year-old took precautions.

“Myself and my coach, we brought a ton of our own food – all kinds of stuff,” Ladd said. “We’re just staying away – away from anything at all, basically. (I’m eating) only known things.”

The silver lining of Ladd’s July experience was that she’s now been through a full UFC fight camp and fight week. She didn’t get to fight, but she got an understanding of the nerves and media commitments and logistics of fighting for the world’s most prominent MMA organization.

As for how that could translate to her fight with Lansberg, Ladd is keeping her cards close to her chest.

“She’s a very tough opponent, and she likes her clinch game,” she said. “That’s about all you’re going to get, as far as that goes.”

Check out the full interview above.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 118, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.